Lily Evans and the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts
by kckfchicks
Summary: It's Lily's seventh year! She and the Marauders are faced with some interesting challenges mainly involving the emerging Lord Voldemort. Will Lily and her friends be able to stop him before it's too late? Rated mostly for language. FINISHED! R&R!
1. Mrs Vernon Dursley

_Disclaimer: Okay, obviously, I don't own Harry Potter or his affiliates no matter how much I WISH I did. However, I do own Steve the Rubber Duck (regardless of what you hear) and the plot, of course. So if I catch wind of anyone using my stuff, trust me, HEADS WILL ROLL… you have been warned. ©, do you hear? ©!_

_Oh, and PS: I wrote this during the looong wait before the Order came out, and was just really hesitant to post it, so some of the stuff you read in here won't quite fit with the fifth book, or some of the things in the fourth. It's mostly my guesses at what might happen in the future books. Gimme a break, geeze… But other than that, read, enjoy, and REVIEW (nicely! Ha!)!_

_PPS: I'm going through some of the chapters and editing and reposting them. So, it might be worth your while to re-read some of the "pivitol" chapters, such as the last epilogue, etc._

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**Lily Evans and the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts**

**_Based on Books 1-4 by JK Rowling  
_****By Kirsten **

**Year 7

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**

**Chapter 1  
****Mrs. Vernon Dursley**

"Get out of bed! NOW!" Petunia shouted from downstairs. Lily Evans sighed deeply as she rolled out of bed. Today was supposedly the biggest day of her sister, Petunia's life: Petunia's wedding day. Lily almost wanted to puke at the thought.

Lily reluctantly headed towards her dresser. She looked in the mirror and stared into the bright green eyes of a 17-year-old girl with flaming, wavy, red hair. She was sloppily dressed in her pajamas, and she had to admit she looked pretty average.

But the funny thing about Lily Evans was that she wasn't at all average. She was what most people would call… abnormal. Lily Evans was a witch.

Lily had been attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the past six years and was looking forward to returning at the end of the month. She missed its enchanted halls, the fast-paced game of Quidditch that was played on brooms, and most of all, her friends.

Petunia had refused to let Lily's friends visit her. She always had. Petunia's opinion of wizards and witches was not a pleasant one. And it wasn't as though Lily was training to be wicked- in fact it was entirely the opposite.

But Lily hadn't seen her friends all summer, and it devastated her. Arabella Figg had to be Lily's best friend in the whole world. She felt as though she could tell Belle anything- and she did. Belle was beautiful- even though she refused to admit it. Her raven black hair's curls ranged everywhere from tight to loose, which summed up Belle's personality, really, and her dark gray eyes were hidden behind glasses- most of the time, anyway, because she rarely wore them.

Madison Gregory was Lily's blonde, and occasionally whiny friend. Lily loved her, but sometimes felt that she was a little phony. Madison was also pretty, but in an entirely different way. Her blue eyes reminded Lily of aqua swimming pools and for this, Lily always wondered if there was more depth to Madison than everyone gave her credit for.

The Marauders were Lily's newest friends. All of her sixth year at Hogwarts had practically been spent just trying to cope with them. And to Lily's huge surprise, they turned out to be a set of the greatest people Lily had ever known.

There were four of them all together, and they were all illegal, under aged, Anamangi, which meant they could transform into animals.

James Potter was the first, and mostly the ringleader of the group. His jet black hair stuck up in odd directions, and always defied the rules. His brilliant blue eyes were definitely his best feature, and his glasses only magnified their perfection. James could transform into a stag, and a good one at that. James was also Head Boy at Hogwarts. (Lily was Head Girl) This meant that the two of them were sort of "in charge" of the students and Prefects. It was definitely the highest honor you could receive at Hogwarts.

Next was Sirius Black- a jokester to the core. Although his black hair, and chocolate brown eyes gave the sense that he was calm, that was entirely wrong. He was wild, and didn't care at all what people thought. As long as he and the people around him were laughing, life was good. He became a shaggy, black dog when transforming.

Then came Remus Lupin. It was always hard for Lily to describe Remus. His sandy brown hair was always neat, and his coal gray eyes were deep and penetrating. But he was always such a gentleman, and was the sweetest person that you'd ever meet. He was the type of person you could always trust- which Lily had learned last year. Remus was also the reason the other Marauders became Anamangi.

Peter Petigrew was the last and least member of the Marauders. He was short, pudgy, and his brown hair was plastered to his head. His eyes weren't special, and he wasn't muscular like the rest of them. When he transformed, he became a rat; that practically was the only way to describe Peter, too: a mangy and pathetic rodent.

Lily and all her friends were in Gryffindor. At Hogwarts, there were four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Each student was sorted into a house. They ate, slept, and had classes with the people in their house. Your House was like your family at Hogwarts. The Houses also had an inter-house championship. You could earn points for your house by being a good student- but loose points by breaking rules. Whichever house had the most points by the end of the year won the House Cup.

"LILY! Get down here!" Petunia yelled again.

"I'm coming!" Lily shouted back.

Lily took her time going downstairs- anything to aggravate her sister. Unfortunately, Petunia was pretty much all Lily had. Their mother and father weren't exactly "model" parents. They were rarely at home, and when they were, they were too busy trying to find the answers to their problems at the bottom of a beer bottle. They worked too hard at their insurance jobs, and never found time for their two daughters.

The only bit of affection they ever really showed Lily was when she was eleven. They had given her a locket for being accepted into Hogwarts, but Peter Petigrew had taken it and chucked it into the Forbidden Forest on the Hogwarts grounds last year. Remus, knowing how important it was to Lily, had gone out and purchased her a new one. She rarely took it off.

"When are mum and dad coming home?" Lily asked from the staircase.

"They're _supposed_ to meet us at the church. Get down here and eat this, Flame-Head!" Petunia scolded. "Or I'm throwing it in the trash!"

"Okay, okay." Lily said.

"Erika is coming over to help me get dressed, and you're going to meet us at the church, get it?" Petunia replied, as she shoved a plate of runny scrambled eggs before Lily. "Eat."

"Why wouldn't you let my friends come to your wedding?" Lily asked, poking the watery eggs with a fork. "It's not like they would have ruined it. We would have behaved… well, most of us, anyway."

"Because the whole lot of you are freaks and you will not destroy my special day!" Petunia said. "Just think, in a few hours, I'll be Mrs. Vernon Dursley…" Petunia fantasized.

"Sorry to break it to you sis, but Vernon's a fat pig." Lily said. "I'd hate to see you two on your honeymoon… talk about gross…"

"You shut up." Petunia snapped as the doorbell rang. "Vernon is perfect. That's probably Erika. Remember don't-"

"- Mention anything about being a witch, or you'll kick my ass." Lily recited. Petunia had been telling her this since she was 11 years old.

"That's right. No one but mum and dad know about your… er, abilities. And it's going to stay that way. And if one thing goes wrong at our wedding…" Petunia replied.

"I'm going to get dressed." Lily replied, not waiting for the rest of Petunia's lecture. "You'd better get that door before I set it on fire." She added, as Erika impatiently rang the bell again.

"You wouldn't _dare_!"

"Oh wouldn't I?" Lily chuckled. Lily wasn't even allowed to do magic during the summer, but Petunia didn't need to know that…

Lily jogged up the stairs to her room. When she glanced at the window, she saw a brown barn owl tapping on it, trying to get in. In the wizarding world, mail was sent by owl, so this wasn't unusual.

"I'm coming." Lily replied, edging toward the window. When she unlatched it, the owl flew as gracefully as a swan into the room. It dropped the letter at Lily's feet, did a U-turn, and flew straight back out the window. "Thank you…" She called after it. She shrugged and opened the envelope.

Dear Lily- 

What's up? I just thought I'd let you know that there's going to be a BIG surprise for you at Petunia's wedding. You're going to love me to death when you see. I'm really mad that you weren't allowed to visit me this summer, but all that's about to change… so don't you worry, Hun! Ha ha! See you as soon as I can.

So much love,

Belle Figg

PS: Don't you _dare _wear that hideous dress Petunia bought for you!

Belle's letter confused Lily, but she put it aside. Lily crossed to her closet, and dumped the dress Petunia picked out for her onto the floor. She pushed aside some sweaters and found her sundress.

Even though Lily didn't really like Petunia very much, she really hoped that her parents would show up for the wedding. Last year, they had forgotten Petunia's birthday, so it didn't look too promising.

Lily arrived at the church about 30 minutes before it was set to begin. She sat forlornly in one of the pews and saved two places for her parents, if they were to come.

"Lily," It was Vernon Dursley- Petunia's soon to be husband. "Where's your sister?"

"Getting ready, I believe." Lily said coolly. "You haven't seen my parents, have you?" She asked hopefully.

"No, I have not." Vernon replied sharply. Vernon didn't look at Lily when he talked to her, in fact, he looked as though he didn't even want to be seen standing next to her at all. Lily had assumed Petunia had told him that she went to Hogwarts. He fingered his monstrous mustache nervously. "But there are some hooligans hanging around outside. I would appreciate it if you would, er, _make_ them leave."

"You mean… use magic?" Lily asked in an undertone, on the verge of laughter. She didn't even mention that she didn't know how to 'make people leave'. Unless she wanted to Banish them…

"Whatever it takes." Vernon replied placidly, turning away. "But go now."

"Bad boy, Vernon. I can see why Petunia likes you." Lily teased. Then, just to annoy him even more, she added, "Can I call you Brother now?"

"Er, no." Vernon said angrily.

"What about Brother _Vernon_?"

"No, Lily. Just go."

Lily only smirked, and headed to where Vernon had indicated.

The moment Lily opened the doors, bright sunlight flooded through. The world was bright and cheerful, and Lily wondered why Petunia wouldn't have her wedding outside, since it was such a beautiful day.

"LILY!" Someone shouted stupidly. "Lily, Lily, Lily!"

Suddenly, Sirius Black came bounding up to her and he flung his arms dramatically around her neck. Sirius _always_ did things noticeably.

"Si!" Lily screamed. "What are you doing here!"

"Well, you did invite us end last year, right?" Someone else said.

"Remus!" Lily cried, turning to give Remus Lupin a huge hug. "I've missed you guys so much! And yes, I did invite you. But didn't you get my letter? Petunia refused to let…" Lily drifted off as she saw James.

"Hey Lily…" James said, pretending to be sheepish. But Lily just hugged him. "Lily! You're embarrassing me!" He said sarcastically.

"You're stupid." Lily joked. "It's so great to see you guys again. BELLE!" Lily shouted as she saw her best friend approaching their group.

"Surprise!" Belle cheered as she hugged Lily tightly. "Peter's on his way. Madison couldn't come… you know her parents."

"Yeah, oh well." Lily said, shrugging. "So you're the mastermind of this little reunion, hm?"

"What can I say? I'm a genius." Belle shrugged. "But hold your applause, because we should go inside, what do you say?"

"Great." Lily replied happily. Today was really shaping up. Suddenly, Sirius grabbed her legs and slung her over his shoulder.

"Sirius! Put me down, you git!" Lily said, trying to get down.

"Say the magic word…"

"You're not serious…" Lily moaned.

"Say it!" He demanded. "Or I'll toss you in that pond over there…"

"Don't you dare! I'll slap you…"

"That never stopped me before!" Sirius cried happily. He broke into a run, and Lily felt as though she was about to slide off his shoulder.

Finally, Remus calmed Sirius down enough to put Lily down and bring him into the chapel. Peter gradually joined their group and sat at the far end of the pew uncomfortably.

"Here comes your sister…" Belle replied, as throbbing organ music began to fill the church. "Cleans up nice, she does, Lily."

"I guess so." Lily shrugged. "No, Si!" Lily quickly put her hand over Sirius' mouth right before he broke into a catcall. "Ew! God! He licked me!" Lily said in disgust, as she wiped Sirius spit on his sleeve.

James just laughed at her. "I was going to warn you… it's his new habit. He's like a puppy or something."

"Hence the name Padfoot." Lily reminded. Each of the Marauders had a nickname that corresponded with the animal they could change into. James was Prongs, because of the stag; Sirius was Padfoot due to the dog; and Peter was Wormtail because he could change into rat.

Remus's nickname, Moony, took more explanation than the others. Remus was a werewolf. Only Lily, the Marauders, and the Hogwarts teachers knew. Every month at the full moon, Remus was brought to a house in the village Hogsmeade to transform.

The Marauders then got the idea to accompany him on those nights. They knew it would be unsafe to visit Remus as humans at risk of being bitten. So they came up with the plan of becoming Anamangi. The only problem with their plan, was that they were underage. To become an Anamangus was difficult, and the Ministry of Magic had to keep tabs on who could turn into what and how to identify them. But this didn't concern the Marauders.

"You may now kiss the bride!" The priest said ceremoniously. And from that very moment on, Lily would the only Evans daughter left. Lily sighed and applauded politely like the rest of the crowd. Petunia tossed her bouquet, and the married couple walked down the aisle.

"Guys, let's screw the 'after-party' and go to Diagon Alley or something. This whole Muggle thing is getting depressing." Peter suggested. A Muggle was another name for someone who didn't do magic.

"Well, _you_ can leave then." Belle shrugged.

"Yeah, Pete, don't be such a party pooper!" Sirius cheered. "You wouldn't want to miss the chance to hook up with the Muggle girls!"

"Whatever." Peter sighed in disappointment.

The whole group then left the church and headed across the road to the huge dance hall where the celebration was to be held. When Lily walked in, she was surprised at the simplicity of it. On a small stage, a live band was playing jazzy songs. Christmas lights were hung around the ceiling, and small tables surrounded a large dance floor.

Lily sat down at one of the tables and watched her sister and new brother-in-law laughing, and cruising around the dance floor.

"You okay, Lily?" Remus asked. She smiled at him, and watched Sirius and Belle jump onto the floor in a hilarious tango.

"Eh, fine, I guess." Lily said. "How was your summer?"

"Nothing too special." Remus replied. "But, my family went to Rome."

"You mean, you didn't go with them?" Lily asked in surprise. Remus didn't meet her gaze.

"No. I couldn't." He replied. "They went during a full moon. They thought it would be best to leave while I transformed. You know, for safety."

"Oh. I see." Lily replied, trying to read his face. "I'm sorry you were left alone."

"It wasn't so bad." Remus shrugged. "It didn't really bother me. Being home alone was actually okay."

"Well, I'm glad that your summer was okay." Lily smiled. The song slowed and another revved up.

"Hey Remus, can I steal Lily for a dance?" James asked.

"Sure; be my guest." Remus said, and Lily stood up to join James.

"So, how were things at your house over break?" James asked, as he whirled her gracefully around the floor.

"All right, I guess." Lily shrugged. "It was very quiet. I mean, my parents weren't home much… and Petunia was busy planning her wedding…"

"Didn't anyone write? Well, besides Belle and Madison…" James asked, spinning her out to an arm's length and twirling her back in.

"Amos Diggory did." Lily blushed. Towards the end of last year, Amos had been somewhat infatuated with Lily.

"Good ol' Amos, huh?" James laughed. "Not Siverus Snape?" Snape was another person who had a crush on Lily last year.

"No! Ugh… I think I would have died if he did!" Lily groaned. "Can you just imagine!"

"Actually, I seriously thought he would. I mean to say, how many times did we save you from being asked out by him?" James joked.

"Okay, so I wouldn't put it past him. But if he did write, I would have just burned it before I even opened the envelope." Lily replied.

"What happened to being nice to everyone?" James asked in slight shock.

"You taught me that some people don't deserve it." Lily replied.

"Oh, _I_ taught you that, did I?" James said as the song began to stop.

"Well, yes." Lily shrugged. "And thanks for the dance. I think you've improved since last year."

"Well thank you." James said, pretending to blush.

A few days before they were to go back to school, Lily found herself being whisked off to Diagon Alley with Belle and Madison. Diagon Alley was an all-wizard place in London where Hogwarts students could go to buy school things.

When they arrived, Lily stopped by Gringotts, the wizard bank to pick up some money for school. Then, they headed to Flourish and Blotts to get their books. Then, off to the Apothecary for Potion class ingredients. They spent the night in the pub/bed and breakfast, the Leaky Cauldron.

The next morning, the three girls called for a taxi and they headed towards King's Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts School train.


	2. Hogwarts Express

_Yay! You all like my stories! That makes me soooo—oo happy! LOL! Anyways, I would love to read some of your stories, and as soon as I get a chance I most certainly will. But I'm doing a play at my local theater and I'm totally swamped right now—so maybe next week. Please keep coming back, and I'll keep posting! Love you guys!_

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Chapter 2 

The Hogwarts Express

When Lily hopped out of the taxi car, a slight rain was splattering on the windows. Lily grabbed her trunk and her cat, Adrienne's cage. Struggling, Lily made it to the train station's entrance and got a cart to push her school things.

"I _hate_ the rain!" Madison moaned. "Why does it always have to rain on the first day of school?"

"Because the weather's trying to remind us that summer's over." Belle snapped, placing her large trunk on the cart. "Let's go. We're running a little late."

The three girls hurried to platforms nine and ten, without stopping. Lily breathed deeply, and broke into a run heading straight for the barrier. Instead of crashing, as one would think, Lily went straight through and saw platform 9 ¾ looming up before her.

The long, scarlet Hogwarts train sat contentedly on the track puffing out large, fluffy, white clouds of steam that curled up to the ceiling. 

"Ready?" Belle asked, joining Lily.

"Yeah. Let's get a compartment." Lily replied and the girls walked towards the train. They found an empty room, and shoved their things into it. 

A few moments later, the train began to chug, and it pulled out of the station. The way to Hogwarts was beautiful. The land was dotted with many a countryside, and an innumerable amount of forests and mountains.

But on this journey, Lily found herself nodding off. Before the lunch cart even stopped by, Lily's head was resting on the window.

There was a humongous lurch that forced Lily to snap back into consciousness. All lights in the car were out and the compartment was submerged in darkness. A few screams could be heard.

"What's going on?" Lily asked groggily. 

"Thank God you're awake!" Belle said from somewhere in their car. "I have no clue what's happening… we just, stopped. Has that ever happened before?" She asked nervously.

"No… never." Madison replied softly. "Oh my gosh… look! Up in the sky!" She shouted, and Lily could see her moonlit silhouette pointing out the window. Lily quickly turned to look outside. There, high up in the air was a huge, vibrant, green skull with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue.

"What _is_ that thing?" Lily said breathlessly. The skull slowly rose until it was as high as the stars. There it stayed, etched into the sky like a grotesque constellation.

"I don't know." Belle whispered. Then, there was a loud knock on the door that made all the girls jump. "Who is it?!" Belle shouted.

"It's us…" James's voice replied, entering the compartment. "Are you girls okay?"

"We're fine, James…" Lily said. "What's going on? What happened to the train?" She asked, dreading the answer. That skull in the sky was making her uneasy.

"We're not sure. Remus and Peter went to find out." Sirius answered, shuffling into the room. "Hang on… what's that outside?" He replied nervously, pointing out the window again.

Lily looked down and saw a group of about 5 people. All of them were cloaked in black, and it was hard to make out their faces in the night. They were moving about suspiciously. 

"There's the train conductor…" James said softly, as the conductor came running over to the group, shouting. "They're harassing him…" As soon as the cloaked figures saw the man, they began shoving and obviously threatening him. The conductor seemed to be trying to explain that he couldn't help them, and telling them to leave.

"What's happening? What do they think they're _doing!?"_ Sirius exclaimed, pressing his face against the window. The men were now getting out their wands and pointing them at the unarmed conductor. 

"Oh my God…" Lily whispered. Suddenly, a blinding green light blossomed out of the figures' wands. The light spread throughout the forest, and filtered into their train compartment.

"Get down!" James shouted. The friends collapsed to the floor and covered their faces as the glass in the window smashed inward into billions of little pieces. The conductor's blood curdling scream of pain and fright blasted into the air and sliced into the people on the train like a knife through butter.

His scream seemed to multiply as a chorus of students' screams joined his. Everyone on the train seemed to know that the conductor was being murdered right outside the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh God, oh God…" Belle muttered over and over. "Oh God…"

"We have to help him!" James replied, not getting up from the floor.

"James," Lily whispered. "He's dead."

"You mean… _Avada Kedavra?"_ James asked. _Avada Kedavra_ was the worst spell a wizard would ever hear. It meant instant and absolute death. Once spoken, the person you were aiming your wand at would be killed in less than a second. Lily could only nod.

"Si, we need to find Remus and Peter. Girls, you stay here, and don't leave the compartment." James instructed. He stood up and brushed broken glass off of himself.

"Wait- James, let me help." Lily replied bravely, as she too stood up and picked bits of glass out of her hair. "As Head People, we need to protect and calm down the students." She reasoned.

"I don't know Lily… those guys could come on the train." James replied.

"I don't care, James." Lily said, much more courageously than she felt. "I'm helping and that's final."

"All right. But stick close my me and Si, and keep your wands out, both of you." James said. "Belle and Madison, stay here, all right?"

"Okay." Madison squeaked. 

James yanked open the compartment door, and they were all met by screams of confusion and fright. The train was still deathly dark and it was hard to see.

"_Lumos." _Lily whispered and the tip of her wand lit up like a candle. She pulled open a compartment door across from their own. "Is everyone alright in here?" She asked.

"Yes." A fourth year murmured. "What's going on?"

"We can't say for sure." James replied in a comforting voice. "But don't worry. We're going to sort this out. Please don't leave your car, all right?"

"All right. We won't."

"Thank you." Sirius said, as he clicked the door shut again. "James- what's that?" He asked cautiously, pointing ahead. Lily lifted her wand higher and saw two cloaked figures swooping into a compartment. There was a scream, then laughter.

"Let's go. Wands at the ready." James said picking up his pace, leading the way. "We'll get them together. Stunning charm, on three." He said, as they got closer. "One, two, th- Lucius!" 

Standing there in the cloak was Lucius Malfoy. He was also a seventh year in Slytherin. Standing beside him was his best friend Siverus Snape. 

"Lily!" Snape replied in shock and almost fear. 

"What the hell do you two think you're _doing?!_" James shouted at the pair of them. It was well known that the Marauders and the Slytherins did not get along.

"Oh come on, James." Lucius said coolly. He took off his hood and ran his fingers through his greasy blonde hair. "We were just keeping the first years on their toes."

"'On their toes?!'" Lily shouted. "Do you know what just happened out there?"

"Yes. And everything is fine. I assure you, Ms. Evans." Lucius replied. "The Death Eaters are gone."

"Death Eaters?" Lily repeated. Lily and James exchanged nervous glances.

"Yes." Lucius said. "If you'll excuse me… we'll be going back to our car now."

"Not so fast…" Sirius said, grabbing the neck of Lucius' robes. "What the hell is a Death Eater?"

"You'll find out soon enough, I'm sure." Lucius said slyly.

"I suggest you tell us, Malfoy." James snapped. "Or it'll be 25 points from Slytherin House."

"You can't do that." Lucius snapped, shoving Sirius' hands off his robes.

"Watch me." James whispered threateningly.

"Come, Siverus." Lucius said, not taking his eyes off James. "Let's go." The two of them then left Lily, Sirius, and James standing in the hallway alone.

"Well that went well, didn't it?" Lily said angrily, spinning around to look at James accusingly. "James, you can't take points off people's houses just because you don't like them."

"And why not? I was just trying to get the job done, Lily." James snapped. "He wasn't giving us the information we needed to keep the students safe."

"He was probably lying! Bet you didn't think of that, did you?" Lily replied. "He was provoking you, James! And you're so thick, you fell for it!"

"Shut up!!" Sirius shouted. "Both of you! Jesus! Everything was going fine, until we met up with the two slime-balls. Just drop it and forget about it, all right?"

Lily sighed, frustrated. James could be so stupid.

They continued down the corridor, but found that the cloaked figures had already left- as Lucius had said. They found Remus and Peter at the front of the train talking to the assistant conductor.

"He's going to take over for the chief-conductor." Remus explained. "Everything's going to be all right now."

"All right?" Lily asked, confused. "There was just a murder outside this train, and you think everything's going to be all right?!"

"Lily, calm down. There's nothing we can do." Peter said softly. 

"What do you mean, 'there's nothing we can do'?" Lily repeated angrily. "We _have_ to do _something!_ Where's the conductor's body? Where are those cloaked people?"

"Lily…" James said, silencing her. "There's nothing we can do." He repeated. "Let's just go back to the compartment."

The assistant turned the train back on, and the lights flickered back into existence. Lily sadly returned to the car with the Marauders, embracing the fact that what was done was done.

About an hour later, the all-wizard village of Hogsmeade crept up toward them. The students filed out of the train and into horseless carriages. Everyone was much more quiet as the buggies approached the school.

It was lit up just as gorgeously as it always was. The windows were sparkling merrily, and the lake on grounds was reflecting the sky as though nothing was wrong.

When Lily got out of the buggy, the rain had basically stopped. She sighed. At least now that she had reached Hogwarts she felt so much safer. She had never thought anything could go as off beam as it had on the train. The wizarding world was supposed to be practically flawless… what had gone wrong? And what was a Death Eater?


	3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard...

_Hey, prof. Spider, sorry, but I SUCK at writing poems/songs. I swear, if I even tried, you all would kick me and my story from here to Poland. No joke. I'm bloody horrible. So, I just stole the one from HPSS, and I hope that you won't kill me for it. Hehehe! By the way, if you all are lovin' my story as much as you say you are, I would LOVE it if you could spread the word around to your FanFiction buddies. I really wanna get my name out there. And hey—don't forget to read Kylah's awesome new story, "Raven"! It hella rocks!_

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Chapter 3 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Lily and the other students walked inside the Entrance Hall in a sober mood. Everyone seemed terribly shaken by the event on the train. When Lily was honest with herself, she found that she was afraid, too.

The huge marble staircase rose before them, and Lily turned to the right of them to enter the Grand Hall. Its magical ceiling mirrored the real sky above it, and the four long house tables were glittering with floating candles.

Lily glanced up at the teachers' table and saw all the Hogwarts teachers talking nervously amongst themselves. Lily saw Headmaster Dumbledore sitting in the center of the table with his fingers interlocked and his usually vibrant eyes were closed.

She joined her friends at the Gryffindor table, and waited anxiously for the new first years to arrive for the sorting ceremony.

The new students finally entered the hall looking apprehensive and frightened. Their little eyes were round with amazement as they took in the sights around them.

The Transfiguration teacher, vice-headmistress, and head of Gryffindor house, Professor Minerva McGonagall led the first years up to the teachers' table carrying a stool and the ragged sorting hat. She placed the hat on the stool and all eyes in the room focused on the tattered old hat.

A rip by the brim of the hat opened up like a mouth, and began to sing:

"_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge by what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find,_

_ A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart._

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,_

_And unafraid of toil._

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind._

_Where those of wit and learning_

_Will always find their kind._

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So try me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The entire hall burst into a gracious applause. Some of the first years looked even more confused, and others seemed to think this was some sort of joke. But McGonagall again approached the hat, and called up "Armstrong, Lena" to try on the Hat and be sorted first.

"Right. Okay, right then…" The Hat thought aloud. "Where to put you? Hm… What about HUFFLEPUFF!"

And so little Lena happily removed the Hat from her head, and hurried off to join her fellow Hufflepuffs. And so the sorting continued until "Ziggerman, Joshua" became a "RAVENCLAW!".

At this point, Dumbledore rose at the Head Table, and looked out fondly at his pupils. He didn't say anything at first, and the Hall rang with silence as each student focused on their Headmaster.

"I'm sure that you are all aware," Dumbledore began softly, "of the tragedy that occurred on the Hogwarts Express this evening." He paused and Lily gulped.

"I'm afraid that I am unable to tell you what happened, although I feel you all have the right to know." He said calmly. "All I can say is that the wizarding world is going through a huge shift, and precautions will be made to keep all Hogwarts students safe from harm. I must beg each of you to keep your heads down, and be aware of your surroundings. I am contemplating not allowing Quidditch to be played this year…" at this point in Dumbledore's speech, many outraged older students cursed beneath their breath. James and Sirius clenched their fists- they loved the fast paced game of Quidditch, and were easily the stars on the Gryffindor team.

"I know this sounds harsh and unreasonable now, but I'm sure you will all agree with me by the end of the semester.

"But for now, I see no point in ruining a delicious feast with all this danger-hullabaloo! So, we feast!" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together as all sorts of foods sprouted magically up on the tables.

After all the golden plates had been licked clean and all the goblets of icy pumpkin juice had been drained, Lily reluctantly headed up to the Gryffindor dormitories. Disturbing thoughts continued to pulse through her brain, and she was unable to think of anything but the murder on the train.

How was it possible? Nothing like that had ever happened before. And what did Dumbledore mean when he said that the wizarding world was going through changes? What was going on?

Lily really wasn't sure, and she had no clue on how to find the answers to her questions.

She climbed into her four-poster bed, and closed the curtains. She pulled the fluffy covers up to her chin, and sighed. She tried to sleep, but a bright green light kept flashing across her brain like a neon sign. The skull and snake symbol crept into each of her dreams, causing her to wake up abruptly.

Finally she gave up on sleep and snuck down to the Gryffindor common room, pulling her robe over her nightdress. Surprisingly, she found Remus sitting on the couch gazing into the fire.

He jumped slightly when he saw her. "Oh, hello, Lily." He muttered.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked.

"Sure…" Remus replied stiffly. "I'm not very good company, right now, though." He sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about… the train thing."

"Me either." Lily confessed. "I've never known something to go wrong in our world." She said, shaking her head.

"It's odd, isn't it?" Remus said softly. "I mean, everything's going great, and then, suddenly, no one at Hogwarts feels safe."

"I'm sure it will pass…" Lily said, trying to comfort herself. "I mean, the Ministry will sort it all out… they always do."

But Remus just shook his head. "I don't think they will this time. Something tells me things are about to go horribly wrong."

"Geeze, Remus." Lily joked. "I'm really glad I talked to you! You've filled me with so much confidence!"

Remus laughed. "Well, I'm sorry! I just have a lot on my mind."

"Well, I'm willing to listen, if you feel like talking…"

"Nah- that's alright." Remus said. "I think I'll head back up to bed." He replied uncomfortably.

"Yeah, we've got a big day tomorrow: Classes!" Lily reminded.

"Yeah, classes." Remus said, rolling his eyes. "G'night."

"Night." Lily replied, turning to head up the girls' dormitory steps.


	4. The Heir of Gryffindor

_So I'm posting two chapters in one day; sue me, why don't ya!_

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Chapter 4 

The Heir of Gryffindor

"Hmm… let's see, what class do we have first?" Belle asked at breakfast the next morning.

Lily looked at her schedule that read:

Lily Evans, Gryffindor, 7th year: (Head Girl)

Monday: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, LUNCH BREAK, Potions x2, Herbology x2

Tuesday: History of Magic x2, Care of Magical Creatures, LUNCH BREAK, Transfiguration, 12:00am: Astronomy

Wednesday: Herbology, Muggle Music, LUNCH BREAK, Charms x2, Alchemy x2  

Thursday: Care of Magical Creatures x2, Alchemy, LUNCH BREAK, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts x2

Friday: Transfiguration x2, LUNCH BREAK, Muggle Music x2, 12:00am: Astronomy x2

Saturday: Free

Sunday: Free

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, I suppose." Lily replied. "Wonder who the new teacher will be, since the other one quit last year?"

"I have no clue. I guess we'll find out." Madison said, getting up form the table, and grabbing her bag off the floor. "But we'd better go."

The friends left the Grand Hall and headed up to the fourth floor, where Defense Against the Dark Arts was held.

When they reached the classroom, they entered and placed their things on the desks in the back of the room. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was a large room, with high stony ceilings and tall window that looked down on the grounds below. There was a large staircase with two platforms that must have led up to the teacher's bedchamber or office. This first platform was used as a stage. The teacher's desk was situated happily on top of it.

When the bell rang, students scurried to their seats, and waited patiently for the teacher to arrive. Each student watched the stairway anxiously.

No one came.

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Where was the teacher?

Suddenly, the door atop the stairs opened and slammed loudly against the wall, causing the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years to jump.

Standing there was a middle-aged man; dressed in long, gray robes. A black traveling cloak was thrown over this ensemble recklessly. His long, dark, matted hair was unkempt and tied back at the base of his neck. But the feature that made all the classmates stare was his face.

The supposed teacher had a large, fresh gash across his cheek and something very strange: One of his eyes was quite normal- small, dark, and beady- but the other! The other eye was a vivid electric blue and was at least two sizes too large. It moved ceaselessly and unblinkingly round and round in his head, taking in the scene.

"Hullo." The man replied gruffly. His voice sounded harsh and gravelly. This greeting was met with nothing but a shocked silence, as all the students watched his every move cautiously.

"I understand that you all have studied Unforgivable Curses last year? That's good… very good." He replied, as his blue eye rolled into the back of his head, showing everyone in the room nothing but white. Madison put her hand to her mouth in surprise.

Then the man pulled out his student roster, and his cinnamon brown eye scanned down the list, while the blue one rolled around and around. "Let's see…" He began to read each student's name, and as they raised their hand, his blue eye would swivel to look at them.

"What say we do a quick review of those Unforgivable Curses, hm?" He replied. Lily gulped. "Anyone care to share one?"

Very few quivering hands rose into the air. Lily's was not one of them.

"Er, Natasha." The man said.

"Um, the Imperius Curse?" Natasha of Hufflepuff ventured.

"Quite right." He said. "Care to tell me what its about?"

"Well, um," Natasha began uncomfortably. "When the wand holder casts the spell, he gains total control over the person he casts it on. And, um, they are forced to obey everything that the wand holder tells them, and it's hard to tell who's under the influence of it, and who's not?"

"Precisely." The professor said. "What about the Cruciatus Curse, Mr. Black? According to this, you passed the test quite well…"

Sirius froze slightly in his chair. His mouth opened, but no words escaped.

"Well?"

"Um, the Cruciatus Curse is, er, basically a pain curse. Who ever is subjected to this curse, will experience great pain, right?" Sirius said, uncertainly.

The professor smiled slightly. However, the grin only made him look ten times more frightening. "Exactly." He replied. "And I'm sure someone has heard of the _Avada Kedavra_ curse, correct?"

Belle cautiously raised her hand into the air.

"Miss. Figg?" He said, as both of his eyes focused in on her. "Care to try?"

"_Avada Kedavra_ means immediate death. Use it once, and you're, um, looking at a lifetime in Azkaban Prison." Belle said softly.

The professor's face hardened slightly. "Yes. In fact, use of any of these curses will get you a cell in Azkaban, as you should have learned last year. You don't ever want to be found in a situation where you'll be put in danger of any of these. It's not pleasant. You need to be strong, ready, capable, and above all else, you must have CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!" He barked, causing all the students to jump in their seats. "And you all could whip out your wands right now, and _Avada Kedavra_ wouldn't do more than a nose bleed to me. To perform it you need powerful magic. Much more powerful than the stuff you learn here.

"I am Professor Alastor Moody." He replied. "I am here to teach you about the Dark Arts and how to defend yourself against them. Believe it or not, I do this stuff as a living."

Most of the students exchanged confused looks, but Moody did not explain.

"Now then, Unforgivable Curses." Professor Moody replied. "Open your books to page 34, and begin the review questions. They will be due on Thursday. Right then. Straight to it." He said, pulling back his robes, and taking a hip flask off his belt. He took a long swig, and the class watched him closely.

"What are you lot waiting for?!" He barked. "Don't make me get out my wand. I strongly believe in student discipline."

The class didn't need to be told twice. They immediately pulled out their books, quills, and parchment and began to work silently.

"Wow! Could you _believe_ that guy?!"

"Did you see that eye? Ugh! It was disgusting!"

"And his scar? Wonder how he got it…"

These were only a few of the comments that Lily heard from the moment they stepped out of Moody's classroom. Lily agreed entirely with everything everyone was saying. Although, it was a relief to finally have a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who seemed to know what he was talking about.

Unfortunately, none of Lily's other classes were just as thrilling as Moody's class. There was something about him that frightened, and interested Lily. Maybe it was his scary appearance that made Lily and the other students feel like their mouths were permanently glued shut.

"Er, Lily?" Siverus Snape replied, as Lily was half way down the stairs to lunch. "Could I, um, talk to you about that train thing?"

"I… guess so." Lily said reluctantly. Why couldn't she say no?! "I'm supposed to meet Belle downstairs in a few seconds…" She lied.

"Oh. Well, I just, er, felt bad about what happened. I mean, Lucius kind of pushed me into it. I didn't really want to… to _terrorize_ the students." Snape said, gaining confidence. "I just thought I'd let you know that…" He added uncomfortably.

"Oh, well, um. I'm glad to hear it." Lily said uncomfortably. Silence. "Well, I'd better…"

"Go?" Snape said.

"Well, was there something else?" Lily asked, cautiously. She knew what Snape wanted to ask her. He had been trying to say it for the past year.

"Sort of…" He said softly. He cleared his throat and stood up a little taller. "See, I was just wondering if maybe-"

"Lily! _There_ you are!" James replied, jogging up to her.

"-If maybe we could, or if-"

"I've been looking _everywhere_ for you!" James said. Siverus missed the sarcasm. To Lily's shock, he put his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. She was totally appalled.

"Ah-" Snape muttered, as though he understood the situation for the first time. "I'll just go…"

"No, we're not…" Lily began, but he was gone. Lily shoved James away immediately. "_What_ in God's name were you _doing?!_" She shouted.

"Hey- I just saved you BIG time!" James defended.

"I did _not_ give you permission to… _touch me_!" She said angrily. "Ugh! You pig! That'll be 25 points from Gryffindor for… grossing me out!"

"Oh yeah?" James said. "Well then, I _award_ Gryffindor _30_ points for saving your sorry ass." He retaliated.

"Whose sorry ass?" Sirius asked cheerfully. "Where've you been, Jamie?"

"How many times have I told you not to call me 'Jamie', Padfoot?" James said, in fake aggravation.

"About a million?" Sirius guessed. "Anyway, Remus is saving us all seats in the Grand Hall for lunch… Prongs, can I have a piggy back ride?"

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall replied, hurrying up the stairs. "Professor Dumbldore needs to speak with you…" Then she noticed Lily and Sirius. "Well, I suppose you two may come as well. Maybe you can help."

"Anything for you, O Sexy One." Sirius said to McGonagall, who looked at him very strangely. "Oh, come on, Minerva! You know you've wanted me since last year… No woman can resist the Black Magic, even one so _fine_ as yourself…"

"Why you hang around this doofus is beyond me." McGonagall said to James, who tried his best not to burst into laughter. "5 detentions, Black, starting tonight at six. Come along, now."

"SCORE!" Sirius cheered, breaking into a victory dance. "First day, and I've already got 5 detentions!"

Their group hurried down the stairs and then turned right in the Entrance Hall. They went down a corridor, and then, at a huge statue of a gargoyle, McGonagall spoke the password, "Acid pops." And the gargoyles leaped out of the way, revealing a moving, circular staircase- like the escalators Lily used in the muggle malls. They all hopped on, and they were transported to Dumbledore's office and bedchambers.

The walls were dotted with pictures of past Headmasters and mistresses. Up on a platform, Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. He stood up, smiled, and motioned for them to join him around his desk.

Lily, James, and Sirius walked up a small flight of steps, and sat down in the large backed, feathery chairs. When Lily looked to her left, she saw a brilliant bird- a phoenix. It was covered in scarlet feathers and seemed quite content on its golden perch.

"I'm sure you all are quite curious as to why you're here." Dumbledore began. His bright blue eyes twinkled as he sat down behind his desk again.

"What have I done this time?" James asked, his head hanging in shame. "You aren't going to expel me, are you?"

"Oh no, James!" Dumbledore chuckled. "Not at all. In fact, this is something you could not have prevented."

James exchanged a confused look with Sirius. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, as I was saying at the feast, it is not my place to inform you of what's going on outside of Hogwarts, but I feel that this is a time when I need to tell you."

"Just us three?" James asked slowly. "Why not the whole school?"

Dumbledore chose to ignore this, and continued as though James had not spoken. "Do any of you three know who Tom Riddle was?"

"Didn't he kill the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, sir?" Lily ventured. "But that was over 34 years ago…"

"He _supposedly_ killed the Chamber's monster." Dumbledore corrected, stumping the students. "But that's getting entirely off the subject." He grinned.

"Wouldn't he be, like, 50 years old now?" James asked. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Not in my mind." Dumbledore said. "Do any of you know what happened to him after supposedly killing the monster?"

"Uh… he graduated from Hogwarts?" Sirius guessed blindly.

"Yes- with top marks. But after?"

Silence.

"I see." Dumbledore replied, nearly laughing. "Well, I'll tell you then, but that's no fun. He disappeared and sank deeply into the Dark Arts."

"He did? Why? He had so much going his way!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yes! He had great talent." Dumbledore said. "But, for _some_ reason, the Dark Arts called to him." He replied. Lily got the impression he wasn't telling them all he knew.

"Professor? What made him… do the Dark Arts?" Sirius asked.

"Well, very few people know that Tom Marvollo Riddle was the final heir of Slytherin." Dumbledore said, his face growing solid.

"The heir of Slytherin?" James asked. "He would have been related to Salazar Slytherin then?"

"Yes." Dumbledore replied. "Salazar Slytherin was not only one of the four founders of Hogwarts, but, as most people know, Slytherin had the Dark Arts running through his veins. Riddle decided to take the same path as one of his fore-fathers."

"Wow." Sirius said stupidly.

"Yes, very." Dumbledore agreed.

"What does this have to do with me?" James asked.

"I'm getting there." Dumbledore chuckled. "Hold your horses… So Riddle performed many curses, and charms on himself over the past 34 years, making himself basically inhuman."

"Inhuman?" Sirius asked. "How so?"

"Yes, inhuman." Dumbledore said sadly. "He is the mere shell of what an average wizard would be. He has filled himself with so much evil, in my mind, there's no human life left in him."

"So in your point of view, he's dead?"

"And reborn as the Dark Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore said stiffly.

"Voldemort?" Lily repeated. "What's that?"

"It is a name he believes will strike fear in every human's heart. A name he thinks will filter pain into every muggle or wizard soul. And, above all else, a name he wants to be remembered as the most feared, and powerful sorcerer in all the world." Dumbledore said. All sparkle in his eyes had now vanished, leaving Lily with an unwelcome cold feeling.

"And those men on the train…"

"Those men on the train were his supporters. He is gathering them fast, and he calls them his Death Eaters." He replied.

"Malfoy knew." Sirius said angrily, as though he had just solved a huge mystery. "He knew they were called Death Eaters… I bet he's a part of it all! His whole family's been in Slytherin: I bet Riddle and him are long-lost brothers or something…"

"Sirius, didn't you hear a word Professor Dumbledore said?" Lily asked angrily. "Riddle is the _last remaining heir of Slytheirn!"_

"But why did he choose the name Voldemort? And what does he have to do with me?" James asked.

"Tom Marvollo Riddle rearranged spells out _I am Lord Voldemort._" Dumbledore explained. "It was a name he was already using at Hogwarts… but only to his intimate friends."

"What about James?"

"It is very well known that Gryffindors and Slytherins detest each other." Dumbledore said, continuing to ignore James and Sirius. "It has been that way since Hogwarts was created. And Gryffindors and Slytherins tend to have very strong powers that the other House students don't have. These two heirs will have close, if not matching, amounts of strength and magical power. I am without a doubt certain that Voldemort will want to destroy the Heir of Gryffindor as soon as he possibly can."

"To wipe off all competition…"

"And you, James Potter," Dumbledore said. "Are the Heir of Gryffindor."


	5. Only Prongs

**Chapter 5**

**Only Prongs**

There was total silence.

James? The Heir of Gryffindor? It seemed impossible. How could James- the troublemaker; the Marauder; the star of the Quidditch team- be Godric Gryffindor's heir?

"M-me?" James muttered with a small laugh, as though the headmaster were joking. Dumbledore's crystal blue eyes twinkled. "A-are you sure?"

"Positive, James." Dumbledore said.

"But, why wouldn't they- my parents, that is- tell me? Why would they keep that from me? I mean… the heir?" James stuttered. "How…?"

"They were going to tell you when they thought you were ready." Dumbledore said. "But, under the circumstances, I thought you should know as soon as possible."

"The circumstances?" Lily repeated. "What kind of circumstances? I mean, Riddle wouldn't try to… to kill James, would he?" She asked, as an involuntary shiver spread through her.

"This, Lily, I can not say." He replied. "But, with Lord Voldemort gaining power as we speak, it seems apparent to me that James needs to be protected."

"Do you honestly think this Voldemort character is that much of a threat?" Sirius asked. "I mean, he's just one man… what could he do against James and all of Hogwarts?"

"As I have said, Mr. Black, Voldemort is gaining supporters- and quickly. I have no doubt in saying that Voldemort was the one who raided the Hogwarts train. I am certain that the Ministry will be facing a very difficult time, soon." Dumbledore replied.

"He… he was looking for me? Wasn't he? When he attacked the conductor?" James exclaimed.

Dumbledore did nothing but nod.

"Oh God…"

"As I said, I think that it is time we enforced some rules for you, James." Dumbledore replied. "For example, no leaving your dormitory after 8:00pm. No Quidditch. No going near the Forest, unless a teacher is present. No trips on the grounds after dark…" James and Sirius exchanged a small glance. "There will definitely be no Hogsmeade trips for you, as well."

"But Professor! This will be my last year to visit Hogsmeade! And 8 o'clock is the curfew for the first years! That's ridiculous."

"_For your safety,_ I think it would be best if you waited until Voldemort's threats have subsided before doing anything risky." Dumbledore said forcefully.

"I have one question, professor, sir." Lily interrupted. "What was that _thing _in the sky? It was bright green… a skull with a snake as a tongue…"

"It is what Voldemort calls 'the Dark Mark'. I suppose he will fire it into the sky whenever there is to be death. But I do not know for certain." He answered dismally.

"As for you two," Dumbledore said to Lily and Sirius. "I'm expecting the both of you to keep a close eye on our young Mr. Potter. You both are exceptional students, and I'm sure that with your judgment, we will avoid any huge problems. All right?"

"Yes, sir." Lily and Sirius replied anxiously.

They left Dumbledore's office in silence. Lily's head was churning with thoughts, questions, and confusion. Voldemort didn't seem like so much of a threat now. That may have been because he seemed so far away. Something in the back of Lily's brain kept nagging at her, saying "_He could be closer than you think… he killed that conductor, he could kill you too."_

"Damn, this sucks." James whispered to himself. "Can you believe it? It's our last year at Hogwarts, and I have to be trapped inside like a prisoner. They may as well toss me in Azkaban—I'd be safe there."

"James!" Lily gasped. "This is such… an _honor_. Don't you see that? You're the Heir of Gryffindor! You're family must be legendary!"

"Legendary? Right. More like _cursed_. Now I've got some would-be sorcerer freak on my tail trying to kill me. And all because of some long-lost dead guy twice removed!" James shouted in frustration.

"James…" Lily whispered.

"I mean, what if I don't _want_ to be the Heir of Gryffindor? What if I don't _want_ to? They can't force me!" James ranted.

"James, you're being stupid and immature about this…"

"No, Lily." Sirius said. "He's right you know. I mean, who's to say that Dumbledore's right? How does _he_ know? Wouldn't James know his family a little bit better than some teacher?"

"Sirius, you should listen to yourself!" Lily lectured. "Dumbledore knows these things. And if you don't want to believe him, write to your parents, James. Stop being in such denial. You'll have to face this at one point…"

"But, what if I choose not to believe Dumbledore? How does he know, anyway?" James snapped. "I'm going to the owlery."

"I'm coming too." Sirius chirped.

"Fine, then. You boys go! Write to your family, James! Dumbledore doesn't lie!" Lily shouted after them. They didn't seem to listen or care. Lily rolled her eyes and started to head up to her dormitory. Boys could be _so_ stupid.


	6. An Owl From Mrs Potter

**Chapter 6**

**An Owl From Mrs. Potter**

Two days later after dinner, a sleek looking owl came fluttering through an open window, and landed on the Gryffindor table next to James.

"Hullo, Ben." James said, stroking the owl. "Is that from mum and dad?" The owl hooted in response. James untied the letter from the owl's leg, and headed out of the room with a quick glance at Lily.

She quickly got up and followed him out of the Hall. James stopped at the stairs and sat down. Lily joined him.

"Hm…" James muttered, as his eyes scanned over the page.

"Let me see…" Lily said, leaning over the page. James scooted over, and put the parchment before the both of them.

_My Darling James,_

_          It's so wonderful to hear from you, dear. Your father and I have been devastated without you at home. How are you? Are you eating your vegetables? Are you and Sirius behaving?_

_          So, Dumbledore told you, did he? I just can't stand that man! We made him swear not to tell you until we had. But I suppose the cat is out of the bag, now. Yes, dear. You _are_ the Heir of Gryffindor. _

_          Your dad's great-great-grandfather's, grandmother, was Godric Gryffindor's younger sister. They grew up joined at the hip, from what I'm told. I never actually met him, for he was far before your dad's or my time. Your great-granddad used to tell me such stories about him and the creation of Hogwarts School before he died._

_          I don't really know what to tell you, sweet. We wanted to tell you about it countless times. We really did. We wanted to make sure that you'd be ready for it. It may not seem like a responsibility now, but it really is. Dear, I just don't want you to worry._

_          Enjoy your last year at Hogwarts, and write again soon, Honey._

_We love you oodles!_

_Mum & Dad_

"'They love me oodles?!'" James exclaimed. "What the-?"

"That was the only part that seemed strange to you?" Lily joked, taking the letter out of James's hands. "But do you believe Dumbledore now? Straight out of your mother's mouth! You _are_ the Heir."

"This is just great." James moaned. "I don't want to be the Heir!"

"Why not, James? It's your destiny!" Lily replied.

"You don't get it, do you?" James said. "I thought that you, above all people would understand."

"Understand what, James?" Lily asked in frustration.

"I don't want to be a prisoner my whole life." James said. "First with my parents, now my stupid destiny. I told you last year- I want to travel, and then become a famous Quidditch player. I don't want to be chained down by my family's heritage."

"Who says you will be?" Lily replied, sympathetically.

"Lily, are you kidding?" James exclaimed. "Now, I'm going to be stalked by some weird, power mad wizard who wants to control the universe. Do you honestly think my parents will ever let me out of the house again once they find out? I won't be allowed to travel! I won't be allowed to do anything!"

Lily didn't answer. James was probably right. He wouldn't be allowed to go places- for his safety. He couldn't even really enjoy his last year at Hogwarts because of this.

"Maybe Si was right." James whispered to himself.

"Sirius? What about him?" Lily asked.

"Padfoot came up with this… idea. It seems like my only chance to have fun this year… I mean, we've been contemplating it for some time now, to pass along once we leave Hogwarts…"

"What _is_ it, James?" Lily pressed. "Nothing illegal this time, right?"

"I shouldn't think so." James said, with a devilish smile. "No harm ever came from writing a map."

"A map?" Lily gagged. "What would you need an ordinary map for?"

"No, you prat. A _Marauder's_ Map."

"Marauder's Map?" Lily asked. "What's that?"

"A map made by the Marauders, idiot." James laughed. "But, it wouldn't be just an ordinary map. It would show all the ways out of this castle, and who was roaming the halls whenever you look at it. A perfect tool for sneaking out at night, right?"

"James, that doesn't sound too good…"

"Are you joking? It'll be perfect! I can escape whenever I want. And with my invisibility cloak, I can still go to Hogsmeade!"

"Your what?" Lily exclaimed. "Invisibility cloak? How did you get one of those? They're so rare!"

"My dad gave it to me ages ago." James said. "Kind of a family heir loom, you know?"

"Funny you should use the word 'heir'." Lily laughed.

"Stuff it, Lily." James snapped. He, however, was grinning too. "I guess it won't be that bad, right? I mean, as long as I can leave sometimes…"

"Sure you can." Lily shrugged.

"You mean, you wouldn't tell?" James asked, totally stunned. "Why not? I thought you hated rule breakers!"

"Everyone needs an escape sometimes. I know that more than anyone." Lily sighed. "So, you have my permission to frolic about under your magical cloak."

"I'm beginning to think we've been a bad influence on you…" James said.


	7. Itching For Love

_Hey! I'm so bad-- I posted three chapters today! LOL! They were short, so don't give me any guff. And if you can't wait for my next posting READ KY's STORY! It's great! No joke!_

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****

**Chapter 7**

**Itching For Love**

Thursday after lunch was Potions class. Unfortunately, Lily, Madison, and Belle were running very late. They flew down the corridors, leaping down flights of steps and skidding around corners.

They dashed down the marble stairs in the Grand Hall, and then turned a sharp right. Then, it was down a sloping corridor, around a corner, around one more corridor. Lily flung open the door just as the late bell sounded.

"Whew! We made it!" Belle panted, rushing to the back of the class and dumping her things on the worktable. Lily followed suit.

No less than two seconds later, Professor Walter- the Potions master, and Head of Slytherin- entered the room. His long, olive robes billowed out behind him, as he strode into the room. He walked up to his desk at the head of the room, and looked out at his class with distaste.

"Good afternoon." He replied. He shoved his black hair behind his ears, and leaned against his desk, pulling out the class roster. "Slytherin and Gryffindor, eh?" He glanced over the page, and took roll mentally. "Now then! Pray tell us, Mr. Black: What _is_ an Itching Potion?"

"A potion that makes you itchy." Sirius declared proudly.

"Obviously, Mr. Black! A little _more_ than that!" Walter scolded. "If you had read this week's assignment, it would have told you. 5 points from Gryffindor, for your cheek. Mr. Snape, you try."

"A potion that causes a prickle or irritation that makes you feel the need to scratch yourself." Siverus said, as Sirius mimicked him behind his back.

"Exactly! 5 points to Slytherin- for a job well done." Walter said. "Now, open your books to page 42, and get out the ingredients listed."

With a shuffle of papers, and a clinking of bottles, the class did as they were told. Lily pulled out her cauldron, and struggled to set it between Belle and herself.

"You may begin to brew your itching potion. When you're finished, bring it up here, and I will test it. DO NOT test it on each other, or you'll be facing a hefty detention, _Black and Potter._" Walter said, eyeing Sirius and James, who were chuckling in whispers.

"What?" Sirius asked innocently. "We weren't plotting anything!"

"Sure he wasn't…" Belle chuckled. "Anyway, first ingredient?"

"Powdered root of Asphodel." Lily replied, smashing the root until it was as smooth and as soft as sand. Then she tipped it in the pot as Belle added the 5 beetle eyes.

"Er, do you want to chop up the frog intestines?" Belle asked, nauseously.

"Do I have to?" Lily moaned, picking up the knife, and plopping a pile of the slippery, pink insides on the table.

"Urgh! It moved!" Belle said, laughing.

"No it didn't…"

"Yes! Yes it did!" Belle chuckled. "Gross."

"Just put it in." Lily sighed. Belle scooped it off the table and tossed it with a squelsh into their mixture. Lily gently poured in some water that quickly turned red.

"Is it supposed to be that color?" Belle asked, leaning over their cauldron inquisitively.

"Why shouldn't it?" Lily replied worriedly, leaning over the pot as well. They both scrutinized their potion as James called out to the professor.

"Professor Walter…" James said. "Sirius and I are done with our potion."

"Very well." Walter said from his desk. "Bring it here-- carefully."

Walter didn't look up from the papers he was correcting, or he would have seen the eager and pleased looks on James and Sirius's faces. They glanced at Lucius and Siverus, and grinned as though Christmas had come early. James picked up their cauldron and started down the aisle to Walter.

However, he "accidentally" tripped when he was less than two feet from Lucius. The bubbling orange liquid spilled all over the two Slytherin boys.

"Oh God! You klutz!" Lucius shouted and James who was laughing hysterically. "Jesus!" Lucius moaned, as he started to scratch his arms.

"Professor!" Snape yelled, trying to scratch his back and neck. The Gryffindors broke out into a chorus of laughter and applause.

"Mr. Potter!" Walter shouted angrily. "I specifically told you lot to be careful! And look at what you've done!"

"I'm so sorry, Professor, sir." James said, through tears of laughter. "I-- tripped."

"No you did not!" Lucius hollered, scratching his knees violently. Lily almost thought he would rip his kneecaps apart.

"Detentions for the both of you! I am without a doubt that you did that on purpose!" Walter shouted.

"Dude! How cool!" Sirius cheered, leaping up and down. "We actually do our potion right, _and_ we get a detention! This is the best day ever!"

"Totally!" James said, giving Sirius a cheesy high five.

Later that evening, when Lily was busy doing her homework, there was a loud tap on the window next to Lily. She turned, and saw a huge barn owl, clacking its beak impatiently on the glass.

Lily opened it hurriedly. The owl flopped a letter in her lap, and sat on her knee with a content gleam in its eye.

She unfolded the note, and recognized the handwriting to be Amos Diggory's.

My Dear Lily,

How are you? How is Hogwarts? It must be so strange without me there. Ha ha! But, guess what happened to me? Well, you never will, so I'll tell you:

I've been accepted into the Ministry of Magic! Can you believe it? In the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures! It's fantastic!

I'm moving to London next week, as well. Not sure for how long, but I'm sure it will be worth it to live in the city for a while. I'm so excited to leave my parents house and get a place of my own. I think that it will be very rewarding.

And Lily, as soon as you graduate, we're off to travel the world… just like you've always wanted. I can promise you that. It'll be a bit of a business outing, though- I'm sure you won't mind sharing a car with some of my fellow workers at the Ministry; you're such a good sport.

It will be perfect. And I won't pretend anymore. I honestly adore you Lily. I find you very endearing and with this new job, I can really give you the ideal life that you deserve. I'll do anything for you, Lily Evans.

I pray to hear from you soon, and I love you very much,

Yours alone,

Amos Diggory

When Lily finished reading the letter, she could scarcely breath. Amos found Lily endearing? He _loved_ her? Was that what he said? Lily quickly read the letter again.

He wanted to give her a perfect life… he wanted to fulfill her dream of traveling… he would do anything for her?

"What's that?" Someone asked, making Lily jump in surprise.

"Oh, James. It's just you." Lily sighed. "A letter from Amos."

"Amos Diggory? The Hufflepuff pretty boy? No way! He graduated last year, right? And he wrote to you?" James laughed in surprise. "Let me see it."

"No!" Lily said, pulling the letter out of his reach.

"Oh come on, Lily. Lemme see it." James pressed. "What's the worst it could say? 'I'll love you til the day I die?!' Come on!"

"No, James! It's private!" Lily exclaimed. Lily held the letter high away from James' reach, but he tried to stretch over her and get to it until he almost knocked Lily off her chair.

"Back off!" Lily laughed. "I'm not going to let you see it!"

"Ow! James!" Sirius catcalled. "Take it down a notch." He said in a voice close to Dr. Evil's, and hurrying over to join them. "What are we trying to get Jamie?"

"That letter-- and don't call me Jamie." James replied.

"Ah ha! No problem-o, Jame-o!" Sirius said, gracefully shoving Lily off her chair.

"Okay! That's enough!" Lily laughed, as James pinned her to the floor.

"Give us the letter, or we'll… uh…"

"Take your life!" Sirius chimed in, crouching down on the floor with his wand held playfully at her throat. Lily crumpled up the letter and quickly jammed it into her mouth.

"So there!" She tried to say.

"Ew… gross. The ink turned your tongue black… That is so disgusting!" James laughed, clutching his stomach.

"It did!? Ew!" Lily said, pulling the paper out of her mouth, shoving James off of her, and sticking her tongue out trying to see if it truly was black. Lily and James broke down into hysterical laughter.

When Lily had finished wiping tears out of her eyes, she was leaning against James gasping for air, and Sirius was watching them strangely.

"You know what's funny?" He asked. "Watching two idiots crack up for no reason whatsoever. Whew! Talk about a slap on the knee!" He said, doing just that.

"Stuff it, Si!" Lily and James shouted at the same time. They both grabbed his ankles, and pulled him onto the floor next to them.


	8. Daily Prophet Report

_Thanks for the last TWO cough reviews! I don't wanna sound greedy, BUT I want more! Please tell your friends about my story, if you really think it's any good. I know it's a little slow-going right now, but I pinky swear that it picks up. And you're not going to want to miss the epilogue, no joke. So, keep reading and reviewing just as you're doing—hey that rhymed!—and be on the lookout for new postings! Love much!_

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**Chapter 8**

**The Daily Prophet Report**

Before Lily knew it, the first week of school was over, and it was Sunday. There wasn't too much homework, but teachers were slowly allowing the amounts to grow- Professor Moody was no exception; he was expecting a two page essay: "There are many ways of escaping an unwelcome situation- discuss."

Lily didn't waste anytime to start in on her homework- she never did. It was well known through out the Gryffindor common room that Lily Evans did not want to be disturbed until her homework was out of the way. Although, the Marauders seemed to think that they were the exception of this personal rule. When Lily was honest with herself, she didn't mind their disruptions too much.

But there was one other person that also seemed to think he was the exception. The funny thing was that Lily didn't even know this boy until he introduced himself in mid-September.

"Hiya!" The boy replied, one evening. Lily didn't look up from her book.

"Are you talking to me?" She asked uncertainly.

"Er- yeah, I thought so." He said cheerfully.

"Oh. Well, I'm kind of writing an essay…"

"Right." He said. "Well, I've been seein' ya around, an' I thought I'd introduce meself. I'm Joe Douglas, third year. What's chur name?"

"Lily Evans." Lily said shortly, her eyes still not straying from the page. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah. So, what choo think about that article in the _Daily Prophet,_ eh? Pretty nutty, eh?" Joe asked fervently.

"What article?" Lily wondered, glancing up form her book with her interest mounting.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard, ain't cha? That wacky Voldemort charact'ar?" Joe said, pleased to have Lily's attention.

"Voldemort? What about him?" Lily asked.

"Well, I gots the article in me bag…" Joe replied, reaching into his knapsack. "Yeah, it's pretty short, but here yeh go." He said, handing Lily the newspaper. "He attacked some folks up in London. Didn't say 'oo, though."

"Hm…" Lily said, scanning over the cutout.

**_The Rising of Lord Voldemort_**

_A few weeks ago, the Dark Lord Voldemort's servants, the Death Eaters, took a little stop on the Hogwarts Express, frightening many students. _**_Writes _**_Daily Prophet _**_reporter Rita Skeeter_**_.__ It seemed as though it was someone's idea of a sick joke, until the train conductor was murdered before many student's eyes._

_"Everyone thought it was a huge deal." Says Lucius Malfoy, a seventh year student who attends Hogwarts. "Well, everyone that is, except for Headmaster Dumbledore."_

_Apparently, the Transfiguration teacher gone Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, seemed unconcerned with the murder and took no action to prevent further problems. Perhaps if he had, this next attack would not have been quite so devastating._

_Lord Voldemort was again spotted in London, England, on his way to Diagon Alley. What for- no one can say. But, as the _**_Daily Prophet_**_can exclusively reveal, Voldemort was going to Diagon Alley via Muggle underground. At the station, he and his band of Death Eaters killed 7 Muggles and 2 wizards. This massacre seemed to have no true point, but only mere sport._

_We can do nothing but pray that the Mistress of Magic can stop this uprising before it gets too far. If you see this madman, please call the Daily Prophet hotline, and we can put Voldemort behind bars in Azkaban._****

"Oh my God… 9 people? That's insane!" Lily gasped.

"Shur is. They say 'e's crazy, an' I believe it." Joe replied, taking the page back from Lily, and glancing over it again. "Nutter, if yeh ask me."

"Very." Lily agreed. "I don't believe it…"

"9 people. 'Mere sport' she says. Those people at the _Prophet _set up a 'otline for people te call. Good plan, too." Joe replied.

"I agree. He needs to be stopped." Lily said.

"Hey, Lily. What's up?" James asked, sitting on the floor by her.

"This is Joe Douglas. You should hear what's in the papers, James." Lily replied.

"Pleasure to meet choo, James." Joe said. "Here's the article… straight out of the _Prophet _yesterday mornin'."

James took the page, and Lily watched his face intently as his eyes scanned the paper. He started with a glazed look of disinterest, but when he reached the fourth paragraph, his face was taught with anger.

"Who does this guy think he is?!" James shouted. "9 people? Is he mad?"

"Apparently." Lily shrugged.

"Oh God…" James said, understanding quickly dawning over his face like a splash of water. "My parents… they were going to Diagon Alley a few weeks ago…"

"What?" Lily asked. Joe watched his new friends with his concern mounting. "What were they doing there?" She asked.

"They didn't say." James said. "They were getting more Floo Powder…"

"You don't think they would take the Muggle subway, do you?" Lily asked nervously.

"I- I don't think so…" James replied.

"Can't they Apperate?"

"Not my mum. She didn't pass the test when she turned 17, and she never took it again." James said, his nerves growing. "But you don't think…?"

"No!" Lily lied. "I mean, why would they take the _Muggle _subway?"

"I don't know." James said. "But why would Voldemort just 'kill for sport'?" James asked. "I mean, wouldn't he be after my dad since he's the-" But James cut himself off with a quick glance at Joe. But it didn't matter; Lily knew he was going to say that Mr. Potter was another heir of Gryffindor. Therefore, Voldemort would be after _him_ as well.

"I'm sure everything's fine, James." Lily said supportively, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Wouldn't someone tell you if something was wrong?"

"Well," Joe said. "Not necess'rily. What if they couldn' trace 'is parents back to 'im? It's a possibility, tha's all I'm saying!"

"Joe!" Lily scolded angrily. "I'm sure everything's fine, James."

"Yeah. Fine." James said softly. "I'm going to talk to Sirius. Hey kid, mind if I keep this?" He asked Joe.

"Shur. I don' mind."

"See you guys later." James said, standing up. He must have noticed the nervous look on Lily's face, because he added, "Don't worry about me, Lily. I'll write to them… I'm probably just being paranoid." He glanced at Joe. "Oh- and thanks for the article, Joel."

"It's _Joe!_ No L!" He shouted after James' retreating back. When James was out of earshot, he added, "Choo shur 'e'll be all right?"

"He'll be okay." Lily said, watching James advance up the boys' dormitory steps. "He's going through a tough time right now."

"'Ow so?"

"Long story." Lily said. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"'Kay then. I'd listen if yeh wanna tell me." Joe shrugged. "Well, it was nice to meet cha, Lily. See you around, eh?"

"Hm? Oh, yes." Lily replied, preoccupied. "Sure." Joe flashed her a toothy grin, and crossed the room to join the other third years. Lily couldn't help but think that he was a little pathetic.


	9. Lily's Bad Day

_Hey Everyone! To be honest, I don't KNOW how I have italics in my stories. But, I would love to help, so let's see, I guess I'll just take you through my posting process? First, I copy and paste the chapter of my story that I want to post into a new Word document. Then, I go to "Save as" but instead of saving it as a normal document, I go to "Save as type:" and change it to "Web site". I then click "save" and post it up on fanfiction using the "upload document". By saving my stories as a website, it keeps it with paragraphs and looking more like a story, and I guess that's how I keep my bolds and italics. I hope that my lame explanation was a little bit helpful!_

_And how do I post so often, you ask? I just post whenever I have a free ten minutes, or so. Plus, I just love checking on my reviews, so I'm always all excited to check them when I get home from school! Hehe! Thanks for your questions, and I hope that I answered them to your liking!_

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**Chapter 9**

**Lily's Bad Day**

"_Errie! Errrrrie!"_ Something squeaked. Lily rolled over in her sleep, but again it sounded, "_Errie! Errrie!"_ It sounded almost like a rusty swing, swinging back and forth… or a terrified mouse. Groggily, Lily swatted at whatever it was. She heard a chuckle, and the thing squeaked again.

She opened her eyes to a squint, and saw Sirius hovering over her, holding a bright yellow rubber duck. Again, he put it right next to her ear, and squeezed it, and the duck let out a tired wheeze.

Before Padfoot could realize she was awake, she snatched the duck out of Sirius' hands menacingly.

"Hey! Give that back!" He moaned childishly. "First my marshmallow, now this!"

"What did you think you were doing?" Lily asked tensely. "In case you didn't notice, I was trying to sleep." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"I know." Sirius shrugged innocently. "I was trying to wake you up." He said, pulling back Lily's covers and trying to climb into her bed next to her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Lily exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Come on… you know this is what you've been dreaming of for the past year: You and me in bed together? Yeah… that's what I thought." Sirius chuckled.

"Stop flattering yourself." Lily said, but she didn't bother trying to shove him out, for she knew it would be pointless.

"Can I have Steve back, please?" Sirius asked, batting his eyelashes.

"Er- no." Lily said, clutching the duck tightly. "And, Steve?"

"Yes, well. He's got to have a name, doesn't he? What kind of a sick person wouldn't give his pet a name?" Sirius said happily.

"Pet?" Lily laughed.

"Yeah. You've got your cat, Adrienne, and James has got his owl, Ben. So, I thought to myself, 'Christopher, you ought to find a pet.'" Sirius explained in all seriousness.

"Who's Christopher?"

"It's what I call myself." He replied with a meek grin. "Then along came Steve, and I knew we were soul mates. Isn't that right Steve?"

Lily looked at the pathetic yellow duck in her hands, and gave it a squeak.

"See? He even talks!" Sirius cheered.

"Well, if he wakes me up again, I'll chuck him out the window." Lily threatened, handing Sirius back his rubber duck. "Where is everyone?"

"Everyone? Oh- that's why I was waking you up. You've got ten minutes before classes." Sirius said casually.

"_10 minutes!!_ Oh my gosh!" Lily exclaimed, throwing back her fluffy covers, and shoving Sirius out of the room. "I have to get dressed!"

"Er- okay." Sirius said, as Lily slammed the door in his face.

A few moments later, Lily was flying down the steps to History of Magic class. She fastened her Hogwarts robes and straightened her skirt as she reached the 5th floor. Her striped Gryffindor tie was dangling uselessly around her neck, and her hair was untidy. She hurriedly tried to comb it with her fingers as she skidded into the classroom just as the bell sounded.

Professor Binns, the only ghost professor, glared at her as she smiled in apology and sank into her seat next to Madison and Sirius. She breathed deeply, and Binns glided over to the chalkboard with a chalk pencil and a book in hand.

"Now, then." Binns said in a tired, bored way. "Moving on in our tour of different races in 1502." He replied blandly. "You can get out your notes that we took on Giants of the northwest, and we'll continue with Merpeople."

There was a jumble for books and papers, quills and ink. Suddenly, Lily realized that in her rush, she had left her books in the dormitory.

"Something wrong, Lil?" Sirius asked in a hushed tone.

Lily shook her head in frustration. "I left my stuff in my room." She replied, trying to control her temper.

"Here, have my book." Sirius said. "I don't care about detentions. And here's paper… and an extra quill."

"Si, you don't have to-"

"It's kind of my fault you had a lay-in. So there you go." Sirius smiled, passing his _History of Magic_ book to Lily along with parchment and a quill.

"Thank you, Sirius." Lily said in amazement.

"No problem, Lil-a-roo." Sirius said, flashing her a grin.

"Ahem!" Binns cleared his throat crossly. "Your attention, please? Er… you." Binns said, pointing to Sirius. Binns never could remember names. "Where are your things?"

"Had a bit of a blonde day, Professor." Sirius said confidently. Madison looked over in agitation, fingering her blonde hair. "Very sorry. I do, however, have a quill and parchment. So, I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't waste my parents tax Galleons by lecturing me on how to be organized, and teach the class about the History of Magic. Thank you very much, sir."

Binns looked astounded for a moment. "Very well, Mr. Brown."

"Black, sir. Sirius Black."

"Yes, yes. Sirius Black. I'll remember that when writing up your detention." Binns snarled. Sirius just shrugged. "Anyway…" Binns said, and he began to drone on about the Merpeople and their habits.

All the students assumed sleepy, dull looks, and occasionally scratched a few notes on their page. Lily took this time to gaze brainlessly around the room.

The classroom was small and compact. There were chairs with small desks attached to the right arm, and the floor was carpeted in red. The walls were covered in wood, and bookshelves of dusty volumes were spread along them. Professor Binns floated at the head of the class where a large fireplace was stationed. His desk was off center, near the corner.

When the bell, at long last, rang, the class scurried out of the classroom as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Ah- Lily?" Binns said. Lily stopped in her tracks, and bit her lip.

"Yes, sir?"

"I saw what that Sirius boy did for you, and I must express that I am disappointed." Binns said calmly. "I honestly thought you were a better student that this, Miss… er, Evens, is it?"

"Evans, sir."

"Yes, yes. Miss. Evans. I had hoped that being Head Girl wouldn't hinder your abilities to be a good student. And I was certain that school came before friends in your case." Binns said softly.

"Sir, Head Girl has positively nothing to do with it, at all!" Lily protested. "And you know as well as anyone that I'm a hard worker, and I won't let something like this occur again."

"Well, I could not be the one to take away your Head privileges. But, if I notice you slacking off in my class again, I will report to… er, you're in Gryffindor correct?" he said, eyeing her untied tie.

"Yes, sir." Lily said, grasping her tie and knotting it quickly.

"You're a bright girl, and I know that you are no… ditz." Binns said tonelessly. "But, to be frank, you really are acting like one. No books, sleeping in, uniform in disarray…" Lily nervously straightened her skirt. "And, I truly am beginning to think that your friends are coming before your work. Perhaps you're just dumbing yourself down for them-- but your brains are in no way at Sirius Black's very low level. Don't do this to yourself, Lily."

"I'll try not to, sir."

"Then I will notify McGonagall if I see you slacking off again. But I trust you won't have this problem again." Binns said. "Now off to lunch with you."

"Er, I still have Care of Magical Creatures, sir." Lily said.

"Oh-- right. Well, where ever then." Binns said, floating over to his desk. Lily sighed and hurried outside to join her class.

Unfortunately, Care of Magical Creatures wasn't much better than History of Magic. The spiddagooks they were looking after seemed to have a fascination with Lily. Although, these creatures weren't exactly what you'd want to be following you around all class-- they were bright orange, small, fuzzy, and their feet were immensely sticky. Lily found herself prying them off her ankles every few minutes to the hollering laughter of the Slytherins.

So, after this fiasco, Lily was relieved to have a break to eat lunch. Sighing, Lily lugged her bag up to the Grand Hall for a short meal.

"Oh, God Lily…" Belle moaned. "Your shoes…"

"Great." Lily said sarcastically. "What about them?"

"They're leaving orange tracks, Lily." Belle said. Lily's eyes widened in anger.

"Are you kidding?!"

"No. Want me to run upstairs and bring you another pair?" Belle asked supportively.

"Oh, would you?" Lily said in appreciation. But then she changed her mind. "No- I can't ask you to do that…"

"You're not. I'm offering." Belle said shortly. "Come on, I'll go and come straight back. I'm fast…"

"It's not that." Lily groaned. "Never mind. I'll just go; it's no big deal."

At that moment, a large barn owl flew through one of the windows, and swooped around the high ceiling before gliding down to Lily. She took the letter off its leg, and it took off again up to the owlery.

"Fine, Belle. Just go, before I get a massive headache." Lily sighed, sitting down with her short letter out before her.

My Darling Lily,

            I'm sorry to write to you again in such a hurry. You didn't write back, and I was worried that I scared you away with my, er, confession.

            Honestly, I don't know what to say. All I know is how I feel- and I love you. I want to be with you- to marry you!

            Oh God, Lily! I don't know what to say. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and it surprised me so much. But now, I have no doubts: I love you, Lily Evans. I love you. 

            I know that if you'd give me a chance, you'd see that we'd be very compatible together. I just know that if you gave it some thought, you see things my way. Please give me a chance, Lily.

All of my love, forever and ever-

Amos Diggory   

"Hey, Lily. What's up?" James said, sitting down at the table next to her. "Oh God- those spiddagooks were the funniest thing I've ever seen! I've never, ever, heard of them acting like that!" He laughed, but then he paused. "Is everything okay, Lily?"

"What?" Lily said, looking away from her letter and realizing for the first time that her eyes were wet.

"Is everything all right? You look horrible…" James replied softly.

"Yes, I just… can't deal with this right now." Lily said angrily.  "God, he's obsessed!" She quickly stood up, leaving a confused look on James' face.

"Lily-?" James began, but she was already out the door, heading up the stairs as fast as she could go and still be walking. "Lily!" He repeated.

"Just leave me alone! Please!" Lily shouted over her shoulder. Amos's letter was still clutched in her quivering hand. He loved her!- _Why_ did he love her? What was wrong with him? She was a freak… Petunia had always told her that- why couldn't he agree? At this point, Lily hadn't even realized that James was walking right next to her.

"Tell me what's wrong, Lily. Maybe I can help." James said sympathetically.

Lily stopped in her tracks, and faced him. Her vision was fogging with tears. "WHY do you always want to help?!" She hollered. "There's nothing you can do! Just go away. Please." Lily said. She stared at James' face for a second… but then turned in a whoosh of her robes.

She hurried up the stairs. Then she noticed the tapestry that led up two floors. She knew that James wouldn't know about it. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, pulled back the cloth, revealing a long, thin staircase.

Lily dashed up the steps. James was only a few feet behind her. But, in her rush, she forgot all about the trick step. She didn't jump it, and her foot was sucked into it. James was pelting up the steps.

"Thank God you stopped." He sighed, approaching the trick step. Apparently, he didn't realize it wasn't really a step.

"James, don't come any closer, or you'll-"

"Come on, Lily! Why won't you just talk to me? What's wrong?" James said. Three steps away from getting stuck…

"Can you help me out of this?" Lily asked, gesturing to her feet.

"I told you I would try." James said.

"No—you don't get it-- stop!" Lily warned. But it was too late. James' foot disappeared into the step.

"Oooooh!" James cried in understanding. "Trick step!"

"Yes, trick step, you thick-headed idiot." Lily said angrily. "And now we're stuck until someone comes to pull us out." She moaned, trying to yank her foot out. But it was no use; her foot only sunk deeper into the stair.

"I never knew about this passage." James replied casually. "Where does it lead?"

"Fifth floor. The top is concealed too." Lily said shortly, giving another sharp tug on her leg, but her foot didn't wrench free.

"Hm. Crazy." James replied casually. "Where did you find out about it?"

"McGonagall. 4 years ago." Lily said, giving her leg another pull. This only shoved her foot deeper into the step, until she was up to her left knee in stair, so she was forced to sit down.

"4 years ago? Wow." James said, sitting down himself. "I wonder why I never knew about it."

"Probably never took the time to notice it." Lily sighed. "We're going to be so late for class!"

"Aw, who cares? It's only Transfiguration after all." James shrugged.

"I know you're used to skiving off- but I, however, have never missed a class in all my seven years at Hogwarts." Lily said harshly.

"Impressive." James lied. "And, just so you know: Transfiguration happens to be my favorite class."

"Oh is it? Well, congratulations." Lily snapped. Then, she realized she was still holding Amos' letter. She quickly stuffed it into the folds of her robes.

"Hey- what's that?"

"Nothing." Lily said. "Why would you care, anyway?" She said.

"It's from Amos, isn't it?" James said, as a grin broke over his face. "It is! I knew it!" He said, laughing.

"No, it is not." Lily lied.

"Let me see it, then." James replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of that perfect nose…

"I'd rather you didn't." Lily said softly.

"I let you see the letter from my mum… and it can't be more embarrassing than that one, now can I see it?" James chuckled.

"Look, James, I said no." Lily snapped again.

"Okay, okay." He sighed. "Oh, and speaking of letters, my parents wrote me back and said that they were fine. They did take the Muggle Underground, but they're fine."

"Wonderful."

"We're in a bad mood, now aren't we?"

"Today just hasn't been that magnificent." Lily muttered. "Do you know what Binns told me? He said that if I started to flake off, he would cut me from my Head Girl privileges! In other words- I won't BE a Head anymore! And… I've worked so hard… it's just not fair." Lily said starting to sound hysterical, tears forming at her eyes once more.

"No way- he didn't!" James said. "He can't do that!"

"He said he'd inform McGonagall that I couldn't do my duties and my school work if I kept up whatever it is I'm doing wrong." Lily moaned. "One bad day, and this is what I get."

"Everyone has crappy days sometimes." James said, trying to cheer her up. "The full moon's coming up- Professor Trelawny says that that can effect the rest of your week." He joked.

"The full moon?" Lily repeated in astonishment. "You blame my bad day on the _full moon_? I'm no _werewolf_, here, James-" She joked, but his face hardened a little.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean that… Remus-" Lily began, realizing her mistake.

"-Remus." James repeated, cutting her off. "I know."

"Really, James. I love Remus, you know that. He's great…" Lily apologized. "I'm sure you get that a lot though, don't you?"

"All the time. I mean, not that many people know… but it's so hard." James said. "What if I had been thick and said that 'full moon' crack in front of him? We always have to watch our step."

"But I'm sure he just wants to be ordinary…" Lily said. "Doesn't he?"

"Of course!" James exclaimed. "But, even though we don't say it, it's not possible."

"He's so wonderful, though." Lily replied. "I never would have guessed he was a werewolf, to be honest."

"No one would- and nobody has guessed." James sighed. "Well, except you, kind of…" He said, his blue eyes twinkling from behind his glasses. Did she detect a hint of shyness? But James Potter being shy was impossible…

"Well, I didn't guess. I was stupid, and almost got myself killed because of it. But I think it's great that you all have been able to keep this so… under wraps."

"Yeah it is." James replied. He smiled. "But, Remus is the type of guy who would just shrug it off if it got out, anyways."

"You're right." Lily nodded, her face breaking into the first real smile of the day. "He probably would."

Suddenly, the bell for classes sounded. It rang throughout the halls, and pounded in Lily's ears. She winced, thinking of the punishments that would lie ahead.

Unexpectedly, two figures came stomping down the stairs. It was Sirius and Remus.

"Oh thank God!" Lily cried.

"Hey, guys… can you help a brother out?" James joked, putting up his hand so they could yank him out of the stairs.

"Hey, what's shakin'?" Sirius said. Then he stopped. At first, Lily thought he was going to help James, but as he stuck out a helpful hand, he quickly withdrew it to run his fingers through his hair. "Sorry, chaps! We're running a smidge late… no time for idle chit-chat!"

He grinned at Remus who pretended to tip his hat. "Excuse me, Lily, dear…" Remus said, shoving past James and Lily's tangle of legs.

"Guys?!" Lily moaned. "Help us!"

"We'll pass, thanks." Remus chuckled.

"Adios amigos!" Sirius said, saluting the two stair-prisoners, and disappearing behind the tapestry.

Lily was awestruck, but James seemed to find the whole thing very funny, for he was laughing out loud, clutching his stomach.

"What… _stupid, thick,_ _jerks_!" Lily said in aggravation. "Can you believe it?!"

"Yes, actually I can." James said. "Although, I thought they would help _you_…"

"And leave you here to find the wrath of Filch?"

"You mean Filch the caretaker? But of course! We always do this kind of stuff to each other!" James laughed. "What's so ironic and funny about it, is that there was no way they could have known we were here." He sighed. "Damn, their good."

"You are so dumb." Lily laughed.

"Who sent you the letter?" James asked quickly, hoping to catch Lily off guard and trick her into answering.

Lily, however, was not fooled. "I'm not going to tell you." She said flatly.

"Please?" James pouted. "For your precious, innocent, Prongs?" He said, using his own nickname.

"Firstly, you're not precious, you're _not_ innocent, and I'm _NOT_ going to show you." Lily laughed. "The more you ask, the more I'll refuse."

"I guess I can't argue with that…" James shrugged. He waited a few moments, and then continued to beg. "Pretty please? With cherries on top?"

"No, James." Lily said crisply.

"We're going to be here for awhile. At least it would give us something to talk about…" James argued.

"You just want one more thing to make fun of me with." Lily said.

"Um… basically, yeah." James nodded. "But seriously, why not?"

"It's private." Lily said shortly.

"I'll tickle you…" He threatened.

"You wouldn't _dare!"_ Lily said, smiling nervously and scooting away. But, since the stairs were so skinny, it did no use, and James was barely seven inches from her face.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" James smirked.

"You stay away from me, James Potter…"

"Hmm… I dunno…" James replied. "I'm thinking that letter is worth reading…"

"Well, it's not." Lily said as seriously as she could manage, with James almost on top of her.

"Are you sure?" James said, scooting a little closer… or at least as close his leg would allow. She grabbed his arms to ensure that he couldn't tickle her.

"You get on back to your part of the step, Potter. I'll hex you!" Lily warned. Even though she was acting tough, her smile gave her away.

"That's what I was planning on…"

"So you want me to hex you?" Lily asked, grasping his arms firmer. "I'll get out my wand, and you'll get what you're asking for…"

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say!" James joked, but he did wrench his arms out of her grasp and move back to his corner of the stair. "All talk, no action."

"You think _I'm_ no action?" Lily asked in amazement. "So, last year, when I ran into the Forbidden Forest without permission, without my wand… without _thinking_- that was no action?"

"Well… okay, so _sometimes_." James confessed.

"So, how is that Marauder's Map coming?" Lily asked, trying to change the subject. She carefully put the letter in her pocket so James wouldn't see.

"Eh, pretty good, I guess." James shrugged. "I mean, we've got some key passages down. You know, like the ones that lead to Hogsmeade, and some passages like this one. There's one that we found that leads up above the owlery; great view up there, but no mischief purpose at all."

"So then, the map is for mischief purposes alone?"

"Of course Lily! They don't call us marauders for nothing!" James scoffed.

"You call yourselves marauders." Lily said, sticking her tongue out.

Suddenly, there was movement at the base of the stairs, and the drapery was flung open, and McGonagall was peering up the stairs at them. Sirius and Remus peeped out from the other side, and Lily could see the rest of their class behind them.

"We… er… got stuck." James said pathetically, motioning to his leg, which was wedged deeply in the step.

"I see." McGonagall replied curtly. "If you could kindly get yourselves out- we've wasted half of our class trying to locate the two of you."

"We, er, tried… but both of us are stuck." Lily said, pulling back her robes to show that her knee was the only thing visible above the step.

"Hm." The professor said, her lips pursed. "Black, Lupin- get them out, please."

Without a second's pause, Remus and Sirius were up the stairs, pulling Lily and James out of the stairs. Lily felt her foot sort of pop out of the stair, and it immediately felt tingly as though it had been asleep for hours.

"What are you all standing around for?!" McGonagall demanded of her class. "Back to the classroom! We have a whole lesson to go over still. Lily, James: 10 points from Gryffindor."

"10? For getting stuck in a stupid trick step?"

"_Each."_ McGonagall corrected. "10 _each_. Back to class, everyone."

Lily and James exchanged looks, but had to look away quickly, for they were bound to break into laughter.


	10. Halloween

_Hi! Back again! So today I have a spare TWENTY minutes, so I thought I'd post up one more chapter… just because. AnimeAngel20! Sorry, I totally forgot about your Yu-Gi-Oh question: Believe it or not, I tried to watch it once, but I was totally lost. My _little brother_ understood it faster than me! I felt so pathetic. LOL! The only thing I really could grasp was that Yu-Gi's granpa was kidnapped and gave Yu-Gi his card deck… and he kept switching places with his older self, or something. If you feel like explaining it in a review, please feel free, because I'm a loser who can't understand cartoons, when children younger than me _can_. ARG!_

_Those of you readers who have no idea what we're talking about, don't even worry—just keep reading! LOL!_

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**Chapter 10**

**Halloween**

The rest of October slid past in a haze. The weather was getting steadily worse, and rain clouds could been seen on the horizon every single day- but did not let their rain fall until it was the week of Halloween. But when it did fall, it was in small showers. The wind, however, was growing colder and colder. Most people thought the clouds would emit snow instead of rain if it got any colder. 

Halloween was always something to look forward to at Hogwarts. The teachers and staff went out of their way to decorate and give everyone a fantastic time. So, when the long anticipated Saturday arrived, all the students were anxiously waited for the Halloween feast.

Lily spent most of her day in caution, for the year before she had spent Halloween with green hair, thanks to none other than the marauders. Although she wanted to get back at them, she knew that they were expecting it, so decided against it.

So, when it was time for the feast, Lily and her friends made their way to the Grand Hall with a slight spring in their steps. When they arrived, they were incredibly shocked.

Jack o' lanterns with grotesque faces floated in the air above the house tables, and real live bats were swooping around the clouded enchanted ceiling. There were even orange streamers swimming through the 'clouds' like water snakes. The sound of excited muttering and whispering filled the hall, which made the room feel cheerier than it looked.

 "Let's get a seat." James said. Madison quickly sat next to James, but was followed shortly by Peter. He looked at her longingly for a moment, but then shook himself and stared at his plate. Lily giggled softly.

Dumbledore gave a quick speech as he did every Halloween, then the golden plates filled with foods, and every person in the hall dug in. The food tasted exquisite, better than any other feast Lily had attended.

So, by the time everyone was stuffed with second or third helpings of dessert, the food on the plates vanished, leaving them as sparkling as they were when Lily arrived.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to eat again!" Sirius moaned, patting his stomach.

"Something tells me you will." Belle laughed, punching his 'sore' belly lightly.

"Stuff it, you!" Sirius said. "I was serious." He added, rubbing his tummy again, pouting.

Lily smiled, and looked to her other side, past Remus. Madison had abandoned trying to get James's attention by now, but Lily was surprised to see that Peter was engaging her in conversation. She seemed very interested in what he was whispering to her. Lily noticed that Madison quickly glanced at James, and then turned back to Peter. This gave Lily the impression that James was the topic of their discussion.

"What are you looking at?" Remus whispered in her ear.

"What? Oh, nothing." Lily said, shaking herself out of her trance. "Just spacing out, that's all."

"You weren't eavesdropping, now were you?" He scolded playfully.

"No! Who, me?" Lily said in an unconvincing tone. "Are you kidding? Lily Evans doesn't eavesdrop."

"Sure she doesn't…" Remus laughed. But, as his eyes fell upon the teachers' table he frowned. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Lily asked, turning. She scanned the teachers' faces, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary- unless you counted Professor Flitwick downing glass after glass of mulled mead. "I don't see anything, Remus."

"No- out the window." He said. Lily followed his gaze out of the large window behind the teachers.

"Oh my God…" Lily murmured. There, high up in the sky, was the skull and snake- just like on the Hogwarts Express. It was floating far too close for comfort. Lily's heart started to pound against her ribs violently. "DUMBLEDORE!" Lily shouted, her voice hoarse, and standing up from the Gryffindor table. The Hogwarts Grand Hall grew silent intstantly.

"Lily…" Remus whispered strictly. "Sit down…"

But Lily wasn't listening. James's safety could be at stake.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir. You might want to look out the window." She suggested, her voice suddenly much more timid with every student's eye upon her. The headmaster looked at her for a moment, but then his face softened in awareness. He turned around in his chair, and his eyes looked out the tall window. He didn't say anything at first, but rose from his chair and strode to the window. McGonagall turned, and gave a small but audible gasp.

Then, Dumbledore turned and addressed the school. "Everyone! Please follow the Prefects to your dormitories as quickly as possible. All will be explained, if you follow directions."

All the students hurried out of the Grand Hall, but Lily and the marauders stayed where they were. Lily still stood frozen and couldn't take her eyes off of the skull. It meant destruction, but where? And to whom?

"James, Lily, come here please. The rest of you must get to your common roomat once." Dumbledore said seriously. James, Peter, Madison, Belle, and Lily followed directions, but Sirius stayed seated.

"Mr. Black! To your common room!" Professor Walter bellowed.

"Please, Sirius. Go to the Gryffindor common room." Dumbledore said softly. Sirius mumbled something, but stood up and left the hall. "Lily and James, I must follow that sign in the sky to help. I have no doubts that whoever attacked, will be on their way here next." Lily's eyes were still in the sky, but she nodded.

"McGonagall, Walter, Hagrid- we'll go out. The rest of the staff- you all will stay here." He replied, glancing at his personnel along the table. Then he turned back to James and Lily. "You two are in charge. You will walk through the halls, and make sure no student is out of bed, and that things are calm. If there is a problem, send word with a ghost, and get a teacher there right away."

"Yes sir." James muttered. "We'll do our best."

Lily and James strolled cautiously throughout the corridors, with their wands held high. All candles were out, and frightening shadows crept through the windows thanks to the crescent moon. They didn't speak a word- they didn't feel like they should.

Occasionally, a silvery Hogwarts ghost would slide through a wall making the two friends jump. They would be given an update in whispers, then continue through the halls.

"You know, James," Lily said faintly. "I'm really sorry that Voldemort's after you. I mean, I know that you couldn't even help it, and it really isn't fair that this had to happen." He didn't answer. "I… I guess you were right. I'm sorry I tried to convince you that it was your destiny and all that. I just hope that everything turns out all right."

Again, James didn't respond. Instead, he looked out the window they were passing. The moonlight bathed the grounds in a fog of silver-white and the lake sparkled. But just over the horizon there was a small lining of red… what was that?

"I don't want your pity." James snapped suddenly. This statement surprised Lily. Had she ever said that she pitied him?

"I don't pity you." Lily replied honestly. James stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. His normally calm eyes were glaring at her.

"It's obvious that you do- and I don't want it!" James said furiously. "You never apologized for what you believed in before now. You think being the heir is my destiny and an honor- well don't go back on that."

"I'm sorry." Lily said in astonishment.

"Don't be sorry!" James said heatedly. "I don't want you to be sorry for me!"

"Okay! I'm sorry… no! I'm _not_ sorry… Oh God!" Lily said in confusion. She sighed. "What is your problem all of a sudden?"

"My problem? My problem?!" James repeated irritably. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He sighed. "Never mind, okay? Never mind."

"Okay. Fine then." Lily said, walking a little faster.

"Oh come on now- don't get all pissed off at me!" James called after her apologetically.

"And why shouldn't I? You get mad at me for no reason at all, but…" Lily trailed off. "Forget it."

"Let's just forget about this _whole_, stupid conversation, all right?" James suggested.

"Fine." Lily nodded resentfully. Then the silence prevailed over the corridors again.

"Er- Think we should check on the Entrance Hall?" James asked uncomfortably.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Lily shrugged grudgingly. So the two of them turned and headed down staircase after staircase. When they could just see the marble staircase ahead of them, they heard a huge _thunk!_

"Oh God! What's that?" Lily asked quickly.

"I dunno…" James whispered. "But we'd better find out."

They both hurried down the steps and there was another _thunk_ and the doors quivered. Immediately, Lily knew someone was trying to force his or her way into the school.

"What should we do?" Lily whispered. "Should we get a ghost? A teacher?"

"If they break in, we'll get him with the stunning curse, all right?" James said hesitantly. "You don't think he'll get in, do you?" He added, looking at Lily.

"James! You should go!" Lily realized.

"Go? What are you talking about?"

"What if it's Voldemort? He'll kill you James." Lily said, fear rising. She could feel her heart sliding slowly into her throat.

"I'm not leaving you alone- he'll kill _you_." James said. He gulped as the doors shook again with the smashing of wood on wood. "Maybe we should both go…"

"We can't do that James. What about the students?" Lily reminded him. "We'll just have to face him together, all right? We can do this- we're the best students in Hogwarts, right?"

"Right." James nodded, breathing deeply. "But if something happens, you get yourself out of here, all right?" He asked, as the crunch of splintering wood reached their ears. "Promise me, Lily." He said, almost desperately.

"All right." Lily choked. "I promise."

At that moment, the doors smashed off of their hinges, and wood splinters flew in all directions. A bright white light shone, and Lily and James shielded their eyes.

"Ready?!" James called. "1…2…3!"

Then, Lily and James both yelled "_Stupefy!"_ At first, Lily couldn't see if they had hit anyone, but James screamed for Lily to fire the spell again. She obeyed.

The light died away quickly… Lily shivered and gasped for air, as the room grew dark once more. Soon the only things Lily could make out were five bodies lying on the ground.

"We got them." James whispered. "But they'll wake up soon."

"We should get help." Lily decided. Outside, Lily could still see the Dark Mark floating in the sky… or was that a new one?

"Yeah." James said. But then one of the men struggled to sit up. Lily was awestruck- had they missed him? She found it hard to breathe… what would he do?

"Ugh…" The man moaned. Lily and James exchanged looks. As frightened as James had seemed before, his eyes were now burning with something Lily did not recognize… was it pure fury?

"Who are you?!" James shouted to the man.

"I'll tell you my name, sir," He chuckled. The man rose to his feet. He was dressed in all black, and his hood was drawn, hiding his face. "If you tell me yours."

"You are in no position to be making bargains, buddy. You are breaking and entering and you're outnumbered." James replied strongly.

"I'm here for James Potter. Do you know the boy?" The man asked. Lily sensed a twinge of anxiety in his voice. "If you tell me where to find him, the Dark Lord Voldemort will reward you greatly. You will be honored more than in your wildest dreams."

"I don't know what you're talking about." James said, breathlessly.

"What about the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts? Heard of that, boy?" The man asked crudely as he gained confidence. "I'm sure you know where I could find that. I know it's here… the Dark Lord knows."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" James repeated.

"Tell me where the Stone of Rialle and the boy are! NOW!" The man shouted. The hall echoed with his shout. "Or you will be punished!"

"James…" Lily whispered. "Don't aggravate him, please…we don't know what he's capable of."

"Your little friend is correct, _James_." The man said, adjusting his hood. "You may have frozen my friends- no brothers- but I will not allow that to happen to me. And there's no Dumbledore to protect you now… I'm not afraid to kill the both of you. If I do so, I will be honored above all other Death Eaters!" He shouted in a kind of mad glee.

Lily and James exchanged a fearful look. "_Stupefy!"_ They shouted.

But they were too late. The man hand pulled out his wand and fired the Cutacious Curse at them. Lily and James ducked, but to no avail- James was hit.

Lily could do nothing but watch as James howled in pain. He collapsed to the cold, marble floor, writhing in pain.

"James!" Lily shouted, as she lowered herself to the ground next to him. She tried to comfort him, but James didn't seem to hear her. His face was screwed up in anguish- and he clutched his face, and rolled on the floor screaming as if he was on fire.

Amidst James's screams, Lily turned and saw the cloaked man conjure stretchers for his companions in less than a second, then sprinted away with the stretchers following him like a gruesome parade.

Finally, James stopped howling. He was panting for a mouthful of air. His face was wet with sweat and silent tears.

"They're gone, James… they're gone…" Lily murmured, tears tumbling down her own face. "They're gone…" She cried. She fell into James's arms and they hugged each other.

There was a sound of an explosion outside, and a loud shout that sounded like a spell. Lily immediately feared for her life- what was that man doing?

James broke away and left Lily sitting on the floor, wiping tears off her face and trying to pull herself together. She watched James approach the door, and look out into the sky.

"Dark Marks." James said quietly, his breathing heavy with effort. "There are tons of them…"

"Wh-what?" Lily asked faintly. She stood up, and followed James out of the door. But when she looked up into the sky, she was speechless. The sky was filled with at least 15 Dark Marks- all floating threateningly and they were all hovering over Hogsmeade. The horizon was lit in a red as deep as blood, and Lily didn't want to think of how it got to be like that.

"Look at them…" James said. "They're everywhere…"

"Do you think the teachers are all right?" Lily muttered.

"I don't know."

"What about Hogsmeade? Do you think the people there are okay?" Lily asked nervously. James shook his head, but didn't say anything. "This is real, isn't it?" Lily murmured in shock. "This whole thing… Voldemort really does want to destroy everything, doesn't he?"

James didn't answer right away, but instead looked out at the star covered sky. "Yes." He breathed. "Yes, he does."


	11. Hagrid Tells All

_Hey guys! Back again! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story! Yee! Virginia: If you look on "Lily's Bad Day", up at the top, it says how I send in my chapters, since other readers were wondering, too. And cough there might be a kiss later on… but you didn't hear it from me!! Anyways, keep reading! I love you all!_

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**Chapter 11**

**Hagrid Tells All**

A few hours later, when it was close to 2:00 in the morning, Dumbledore and the rest of the staff came hurrying up the path from Hogsmeade to find Lily and James still standing at the doorway, dazed and shivering. It took a long time for James to explain what had happened to the castle doors.

Lily couldn't help shaking uncontrollably when James explained about the man who was not hit by their blast of curses. She felt her cheeks growing wet with silent tears again. She was lucky to be alive… and James.

James could have been killed. That was the whole cause of the break in. Lily couldn't help thinking that it was his fault… _all his fault…_

"Is this true, Lily?" Dumbledore asked her suddenly.

"Wh-what?" Lily mouthed faintly. His face flickered with a slight smile, as he repeated the question for her.

"Did the man talk to you two?"

Lily found that words failed her. She could hardly breathe, let alone speak. She simply nodded. Luckily, it was enough for Dumbledore.

"And, sir, he knew that you weren't at the school." James added. "I think the attacks in Hogsmeade were a diversion of some kind."

"I'm sure you're right, Mr. Potter." McGonagall said softly. Lily noticed her eyes were wet and round- as though they had seen things they did not want to see. All the teachers looked helpless and shocked… Dumbledore alone looked calm.

"Our safety precautions must be heavier, Headmaster." Walter said nervously. "It's apparent we're not being vigilant enough."

"I quite agree, Carl." Dumbledore replied. "Now, Lily and James, why don't you two head up to your dormitories? I'm sure your friends will be anxiously waiting to hear from you."

"What can we tell them, sir?" James asked. "What about the people of Hogsmeade? Surely they'll want to know…"

"Now is not the time to explain the horrors at Hogsmeade." He said shortly. "But you should tell them the truth about your encounter."

"Yes, sir." James murmured. "Come on Lily."

"Hm? Oh, all right." Lily whispered, her throat tight.

They didn't speak as they made their way through the dark halls of Hogwarts. _The horrors of Hogsmeade…_ what did that mean? Didn't Dumbledore think she could handle the truth?

"Rhododendron." James murmured to the Fat Lady in the portrait. She yawned, and swung forward, revealing the Gryffindor portrait hole. Lily crawled through, her mind hazy.

Just as Dumbledore had said, their friends were all waiting in the common room, asleep in unlikely places. Lily would have done anything to fall on the couch next to Remus and sleep, but James just _had_ to go to the pouf and shake Sirius awake.

"I didn't do it!" Sirius shouted thickly.

"Shut up…" Madison grunted, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

"You shut up…" Peter moaned.

"Wake up, guys." James said solemnly. "We're back."

"Oh, James…" Remus said groggily. "What time is it?"

"'Round two." James answered, checking his watch. "_Wake up!"_ He said, shaking Sirius, who had dropped to sleep again.

"What happened?" Belle asked, rubbing her eyes. "I thought you were just going to patrol the halls until Dumbledore got back…"

"That's what we were doing." James said.

"Lily? What's wrong?" Belle asked, eyeing her nervously. "What happened?"

"Don't ask if you don't want to know." James warned.

"_What happened, James?"_ Remus repeated.

"They broke into the castle." Lily whispered with difficulty. "The Death Eaters… tried to kill James…"

"They _what?_" Everyone asked.

"While the staff was in Hogsmeade, 5 Death Eaters came up to the castle, and broke in. Lily and I thought we'd stunned all of them… then one got up and spoke to us." James said calmly.

"He told us that if we could tell him where James was, Voldemort would reward us." Lily said, finally regaining full use of her voice. "Then he threatened to kill the both of us if we didn't speak up." Remus stared at her as she spoke, as though trying to put together what she had just said. Wordlessly, he motioned to the couch and Lily sat down next to him. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders, while their friends looked at the floor in concentration. Finally, Madison spoke up.

"What did you do? What did he say?"

"Fired another stunning curse at him." James replied. "But he got us first…"

"Got _you _first, you mean." Lily added softly.

"Got you, James?" Madison repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Crutatious Curse." James said shortly, rubbing his forehead as though it ached.

"Crutatious Curse? James!" Belle exclaimed. "Are you okay? Do you need to see a nurse?" She asked fearfully.

"No." James said quickly, looking ashamed.

"It was awful to watch…" Lily said, as an image of James wriggling on the floor flashed across her troubled and confused mind. James glanced at her, almost to silence her from describing his moment of weakness.

Sirius clapped a supportive hand on James's shoulder, as if he didn't know what to say to make his spirits lighten. Sirius's usually jolly face was serious, and it wasn't something Lily was used to- it was unrecognizable.

"But then the teachers came back." Lily continued, trying to change the subject. "But they wouldn't tell us about what happened in Hogsmeade."

"We saw the Dark Marks out the window." Sirius murmured. "There were tons… horrible things, those Marks."

"Yeah…" Peter agreed softly.

The group sat in silence again for a long time. No one knew what to say… no one knew what to believe. It seemed so hard to understand. The wizarding world was flawless… Why would someone want to wreck havoc? What was to be gained? Unless Voldemort wanted to be Minister of Magic… but that was just silly.

Without another word, Lily stood up and walked up the stairs to bed. No one else moved; they might not have even noticed that she had left. In a daze, she changed into her nightclothes, and crawled into her four-poster, and drew the curtains shut. Her bed had never felt quite so comforting. She sank into its feathery depths, feeling safe and comfortable for the first time that night.

It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, Lily had been sitting down in the Grand Hall for Halloween dinner… and then everything changed…

Lily awoke the next morning with bags under her eyes, and a stiff back from tossing and turning most of the night. Every time her eyelids drooped shut, they would snap back open when the Death Eater swooped through her dreams.

Lily wanted to steer clear of the topic at all costs that day, but it seemed unavoidable. Every place she went, that was all people were talking about. It was all anyone wanted to discuss.

The worst thing was when people would come up to her to ask about the break in- for that story had gotten out too. Lily would just shake her head, and tell them she didn't know anything, then ask them to leave her alone.

But she did know. She knew all too well what had happened.

By the time Monday rolled around, Lily was tired of questions. She found that even the teachers had grown preoccupied.

As the Gryffindors made their way down to the last class of the day, double Herbology with the Ravenclaws, James sped up to walk with Lily.

"Hey." He said softly in her ear.

"Hi." Lily replied, not even looking at him. "What do you want?"

"I have a proposition for you." James said making fun of business people.

"And what's that, good sir?" Lily asked, playing along.

"Well, I know that you're just as curious as I am about this whole Hogsmeade thing." James said. "So I was thinking…"

"That's a dangerous pastime for you, James."

"Yeah, yeah." James said, waving Lily's joke. "But I thought that there is one person who would tell us about it."

"The teachers said they wouldn't tell us, until they thought we were ready… whenever that'll be…"

"He's not a teacher, you nerd." James chuckled. "Conveniently, his cabin is just over there…" James replied, pointing to Rubeus Hagrid's house that stood on the edge of the forest.

"Are you suggesting we-?"

"Skive off? Yup." James said. "We'll get Si to cover for us… and then we can get all the information we need. Something tells me Hagrid won't have a problem telling us whatever we need to know." He said, raising his eyebrows. "Well? What do you say?"

"Potter, are you kidding?" Lily asked. "We'd get in so much trouble if Professor Sprout ever found out!"

"How could she? What if we said you weren't feeling well, so I brought you up to the hospital wing?" James suggested. "Come on, what's the worst that'll happen?"

"I told you what Binns said about being Head Girl…"

"He was just threatening you… he wouldn't really do that." James urged. Then he turned to Sirius. "Hey Si! We're… er… going to the hospital wing, all right? You'll tell Sprout for us, won't you?"

"Whatever you say, Jamie-poo!"

"Don't call me that!" James shouted back. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Before Lily could say no, he grabbed her elbow and steered her to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Lily had met the gamekeeper only once before, and Hagrid had seemed nice. It was rumored that he was the heir of Slytherin. But that wasn't the thing that made Hagrid so intimidating. He was _huge!_ As tall as a giant, his hair was matted, and his eyes were small, black, and beady. His mouth couldn't even be seen underneath his scruffy beard. And as James parked Lily before the door, and knocked on his tall door, Lily held her breath. What was she doing here? She should be in class with the rest of the Gryffindor seventh years!

But just as she voiced this to James, the door squeaked open, and Hagrid stood at least four heads above James.

"Good afternoon, Hagrid." James replied cheerfully. "We have a few questions for you, would you mind?"

"'Lo there, James. I wouldn' mind t'all! Com' on in… I was jus' puttin' on some tea." Hagrid replied cheerfully. He shepherded Lily and James into his one room cabin. In the corner, there was a large bed, and the fireplace was crackling happily. In the center of the room, there was a big, round, scrubbed table.

It was here that Hagrid offered Lily and James a seat. They both sat down, and accepted the cups of tea that were as large as soup bowls.

"Would yeh care for a cake? I jus' made em dis morning." Hagrid asked, placing a plate of rather squashed biscuits.

"Er- no thank you." Lily said politely. Then, as Hagrid turned his back to put away the teapot, Lily spoke to James sharply and softly. "We shouldn't be here, James. Let's go… we're going to get into so much trouble!"

"Geeze, Lily. Have a little faith in Sirius. If I know him at all, he'll keep us out of trouble. I have no doubt he'll think of something…" James assured.

"Now then, what about them questions yeh had for me?" Hagrid asked, joining them at the table. He held his teacup firmly, and grinned.

"Well, it was about Halloween…" James said. "Could you tell us exactly _what_ happened that night in Hogsmeade?"

"I dunno why you'd wanna know abou' tha'." Hagrid replied in surprise.

"We just want to know the truth." Lily added. "I mean, we need to know what we're all up against, you know?"

"I get it." Hagrid said. "Well, when we all got there, there were those Death Eaters runnin' around all over da place- settin' fires, and blowin' stuff up. People were screamin', and babies were cryin'…" Hagrid said, his eyes growing unfocused. "But tha' wasn't the worst part: there were bodies… jus' layin' on the ground. Some were floatin' in the air like a puppet."

"That's horrible…" James said softly.

"Yeah, it was." Hagrid said.

"What did you do?"

"Dumbledore gave us orders to get the living people out of da way… so we did our best. Da worst part was watchin' them Death Eaters runnin' around, killin' at random. No one really knew how to help. Dumbledore an' some of da Ministry Wizards were the on'y ones with their heads on straight, to be honest." Hagrid shrugged glumly. "Wish we'd'a gotten there faster. Couldda saved more people, I think."

"I'm sorry, Hagrid." James replied. "Lily, you and I should have gone with them- we really could have helped!"

"James, are you kidding?! If we hadn't been at the castle, those Death Eaters would have gotten in!" Lily said.

"Lily's righ' James." Hagrid said. "And who knows what couldda happened then."

"James, what was that thing the Death Eater asked you about?" Lily asked. "You know, that crystal?"

"Oh yeah!" James said. "Hagrid, that one man asked us about the… Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts, was it? What was he talking about?"

"Er- what?" Hagrid said, uncomfortably. "I… dunno what yer talking about…"

"Hagrid…" James scolded. "We can handle the truth."

"I'm not supposed to tell yeh- or anybody!" Hagrid said.

"Hagrid, please?" Lily urged. "Tell us…"

"I can't…" He moaned. "Well, yeh won' tell anyone, would you?"

"Of course not!" They replied at the same moment.

"Well, the Hidden Crystal… is… well, I don't even know much about it, really." Hagrid said quickly. "But, it was given to Dumbledore fer… safe keepin'. Don't make me tell yeh by who or why, cuz I won't tell yeh."

"Safe keeping?" James repeated. "Why, though?" He asked Lily, who shrugged.

"I dunno!" Hagrid exclaimed.

"Yes you do." Lily said. "You just refuse to tell us."

"Tha's right. I won' say anymore about that Stone of Rialle." Hagrid resolved, taking a big swig of his tea. "But I will say tha' Dumbledore's a great man. I can't say tha' enough."

"And why's that?" James pressed, winking at Lily.

"Helpin' out Nicholas Flamel like tha'! Just when he was so confused… Great man." Hagrid said. But when he saw the growing pleasure on James and Lily's faces, he put his face in his hands. "Shouldn't'a said that! I should _not_ have said that!"

Lily and James exchanged happy glances.

"Yeh won't tell anyone, will yeh? Lily, James? Promise me!" Hagrid demanded fearfully. "Students aren't supposed ta know!"

"We won't tell." Lily assured him. "_If_ you tell us who Nicholas Flamel is. And what's he got to do with the Stone of… Rialle, was it?"

"Stone of Rialle." James corrected quickly, putting his hands on his fists, and looking anxiously at Hagrid. "So, who is he then?"

"He's da creator of the Stone." Hagrid said angrily. "But I ain't gonna tell yeh any more! Yeh'd do best to leave now. Aren't yeh missin' class?" He asked suspiciously.

Lily looked angrily to James. "I _told_ you we'd get caught!" She whispered sharply.

"Actually, Hagrid… we, er, got a pass to see you. Head business, you know." James said quickly. "Oh, darn, Lily!" James said, snapping his fingers. "I think I lost our pass on the way down here!" He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

"No! You did?" Lily said, playing along dramatically. Hagrid looked at them strangely. "James, how could you?"

"Wait a moment! Hagrid! Why don't you write us a pass to Herbology? Then we won't get into trouble!" James suggested hopefully.

"I don't believe a word tha' you jus' said. But sure; I'll walk you two down there." Hagrid replied. "I was on me way down there anyway."

James and Lily entered greenhouse 4 with smug grins on their faces. The whole class turned, to see the giant Hagrid leading them in, and frowned enviously.

"Ah! Glad to see you're feeling better, Lily!" Professor Sprout exclaimed. "Hagrid, thank you for walking them back from the Hospital Wing, but it was unnecessary."

"Hospital Wing?" Hagrid repeated, looking at Lily and James, who smiled at him meekly. "Tha's right, Sprout. Lily here wasn't feelin' so great, so I thought I'd lead her back here."

Lily sighed in relief, and returned to her seat next to Madison and Belle. As she pulled out her book, she glanced back at Hagrid, who winked at her. She grinned broadly back in thanks. Maybe he wasn't quite as bad as he looked. Appearances sure were deceiving at Hogwarts…


	12. The Whomping Willow

**Chapter 12**

**The Whomping Willow**

When November came to a close, fierce winds and rains were threatening to tear down the school. Everywhere anyone went, they could hear trees from the Forbidden Forest creaking and moaning in the wind. Rain droplets the size of golf balls were pounding down from the sky, accompanied by streaks of lightning. Everyone was in solemn, bored moods. It seemed that without Quidditch to watch on weekends, and with Christmas break drawing ever closer, there wasn't much to do.

It was on one of these tedious, almost clear sky mornings, Lily found herself heading down to the abandoned Quidditch field with the marauders and Belle. But Remus wasn't with them, due to the full moon that night.

 A very light rain was trickling down from the heavy gray clouds- but it was the least amount of rain in a very long time, so Lily was pleased to get outside.

Lily was seated in the icy cold stands. Belle had concocted a little waterproof fire with her wand, and everyone was huddling around it for warmth. Everyone, that is, except for Sirius. Sirius had his own way of keeping warm-- bouncing around the stadium and being obnoxious.

"Jesus, maybe we should go back inside…" Peter muttered. "It's freezing out here."

"Aw, common, Pete. It's good to be outside." James said, stepping away from the tiny flames and looking out over the field. "I sure wish I had my broomstick with me…"

"We aren't even supposed to be out here, James." Lily reminded him. "Let alone flying…"

"Whatever." James said. "But I haven't flown my broom since summer. I bet it's rusting up in my trunk as we speak!" He said angrily.

Suddenly, Sirius' voice boomed throughout the empty stadium. He had found the magical megaphone.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen!" He hollered. His voice bounced off the metallic seats and echoed. "I would just like to remind the whole lot of you that the Slytherins are a bunch of big, old, stupid-heads…"

"Oh great…" Belle chuckled. "Just watch: Professor Walter will come down here and hear _all_ this."

"And I'd like to make a 'shout out' to my good buddy Lucius," Sirius continued. "You heard me, Lucy! I'm challenging you, right here and now! I know we've whooped your ass in Quidditch one too many times, but I'd like to take you again, boy! Bring it on! Yeah, I bet you're cryin' now! Runnin' to your daddy!" He replied, even though no Lucius was in sight.

As Sirius continued to make fun of Lucius, somebody else entered the Quidditch stadium. Everyone but Sirius craned his or her necks to see whom it was. But when the two figures below, straightened up in rage, and started to march directly towards them, Lily knew it was a Slytherin student.

"Oh! And Siverus! You know I could kick your butt, so I won't even GO there!" Sirius laughed. "But, BRING IT ON anyway, son!! And trust me, if you hit on Lily one more time…"

By this time, the two people had reached Lily's group. And of course, it was Lucius Malfoy and Siverus Snape.

"SIRIUS!" James shouted. "SHUT UP!"

Immediately, the commentary stopped. Sirius must have noticed who had arrived, for he shouted down to them happily.

"Hey there Lucy! Come to take my challenge, I suppose?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Please. As if I would stoop so low."

"What are you two doing here?" James spat.

"I should be asking you the same." Lucius replied dully. "To be honest, James, I always thought you were better than this."

"Better than what?" James asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Than these… people. I'd have thought that the Heir of Gryffindor would choose better friends." Lucius said, grinning slightly.

"Heir of Gryffindor?" James repeated. "How did you--?"

"I suppose now you think you'll be treated like some king, don't you James?" Lucius said. "My father tells me that's what happens to all those who are weak minded."

"I wondered where you got it from." Lily whispered under her breath. Before she had even realized she had said it out loud, Malfoy spoke up.

"Nobody asked you, Evans." He turned back to James. "And I seriously would have thought that the King of Gryffindor would never have a Mudblood like _her_ for a girlfriend." He said, motioning to Lily.

Lily looked up angrily, and glared at him. He did nothing but smirk. Everyone there knew that Mudblood was the worst thing you could possibly say to a Muggle Born.

"How _dare_ you say that to her!" James shouted, taking a step closer to Lucius. Peter leapt up, in case he had to stop James from attacking Lucius. "And she's not my girlfriend!" James added, a touch of red brightening his cheeks—but whether it was embarrassment or rage, Lily couldn't tell.

"What other word is there to describe someone like… _that_." He retorted. Lily's face burned with shame, and she looked down at her shoes.

"Don't you say that to her." James warned, pulling out his wand.

"Or what, Potter?" Lucius growled, pulling out his own wand. "Because I'll say it again…"

"You do, and I'll curse you."

"James, stop." Lily said softly. "It's nothing to get expelled over…"

"Let me handle this, Lily." James argued.

"Siverus, it sounds like you've got some serious competition. If I didn't know any better I would say that James likes Lily as much as you do." Lucius laughed, making both James and Snape's faces turn red.

"I don't--" James began tensely.

"Sure. Whatever you say, _your highness._" Lucius snapped coldly, bowing to James with a sickening flourish. "Come Siverus. See you around, O Mighty King of Gryffindor."

When they were out of earshot, James kicked one of the tinny benches in rage.

"Shit!" He shouted. "How did he find out?!"

"Probably his _dear old daddy._" Belle said angrily. "And where does he come off calling Lil a Mudblood? Who does that?!"

"Apparently, he does." Peter said softly.

At this point, Sirius came bounding down the steps. When he reached them, he stopped abruptly.

"They _left?_ No way! I was gonna kick their butts!" He moaned. "NOOOOO!" He called, falling to his knees. When no one laughed, or said anything, he leaned on his ankles. "Geeze, tough crowd."

"You have no idea." Lily said softly. "They called me a Mudblood."

"No way! That bastard!" Sirius said, shocked. "How rude!"

"Totally." Belle sighed. Everyone paused, in thoughtful silence. "I hate them all." She said. "What are their problems, anyway?"

"I don't know." James muttered. "But I wish they'd die. All of them."

"You could prank them…" Peter suggested half-heartedly.

There was a long, thoughtful silence. Lily wiped a lone tear out of her eye before anyone noticed it. _He has no right to call me that…_ Just because her parents were Muggles, it didn't mean she wasn't a witch. She had trained for seven long years to become what she was today, and she was _not_ a Mudblood.

Suddenly, Sirius broke the unearthly silence.

"Ah ha! I have the perfect idea. Leave it to me." Sirius said, smiling broadly. "I'll make all of your dreams come true by the end of the night!"

"Hang on… aren't you going to run it by us first?" James asked.

"No. But I can promise that you'll love me if you didn't already. And that you'll never have to worry about _Snivellus_ ever again." And with that, he ran out of the bleachers after Lucius and Siverus.

Later that evening, Lily and James were sitting in the common room stumbling over homework, still waiting for Sirius to come back from his masterful prank.

"I've done it!" Sirius proclaimed magnificently, slamming the portrait hole closed gallantly. "Any moment now…"

"Any moment now, what?" Lily repeated. "What did you do?" She asked, on the verge of laughter.

"You wanna know?" Sirius teased proudly.

"Yes…"

"Do you _really_ want to know?"

"God damn it, Si. _Yes we want to know!"_ James said impatiently.

"Okay. No need to swear, Jamie." Sirius said. "Well, you know how tonight's a full moon? Well, let's just say that we won't be hearing from Snape for the rest of the year… or longer."

"_What?!"_ Lily and James shouted at the same moment.

"I told Snape to prod the knot on the Whomping Willow. To get to Remus." Sirius said innocently. "He'll wind up biting Siverus, or something. Maybe that'll teach him to shut his fat mouth."

"What were you thinking, Si?" James exclaimed. "Firstly, it wasn't _Snape_ who called Lily a Mudblood. And secondly, Remus is in his werewolf form… he won't care who it is… he'll bite Snape!"

"I know." Sirius said. "Isn't that what I said?"

"Sirius!"

"You _said_ you wanted him dead. They're a bunch of bastards and they don't deserve to live. So, _ta da!_ Your wish is granted!" Sirius proclaimed, his voice rising angrily, now that no one was appreciating his brilliance. "And besides, Remus _won't_ hurt him…"

"Yes he will, Sirius." James said frantically, pushing his books aside, grabbing his wand and sprinting out of the common room.

"James…" Lily called uselessly after him.

"He's going to go save him, that spoil-sport." Sirius sighed, as he fell onto the couch.

"Sirius, what were you thinking?" Lily moaned.

"He wouldn't have gotten killed. He's a smart kid, right?" Sirius reasoned. But the seriousness of his action was slowly weighing in on him.

"You never know, Si." Lily shook her head. Sirius sighed again.

"I won't be expelled, will I?" He asked nervously.

"I hope not." Lily said, walking over to the couch and sitting down next to him. She put her hand on his knee. "I really hope not."

"Maybe I should go with James?" Sirius said after a moment's silence.

Lily hesitated. "Unfortunately, I think you've done enough, as it is."

James stumbled back into the common room very late at night. His hair was disgruntled, and his glasses askew.

"Well?" Lily asked him cautiously.

"He's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine." James said tonelessly.

"No, it's not." Lily said, reading the look on his face. "What happened?"

"Snape saw Remus. He knows. He's going to tell everyone…" James said softly. "I got him out of the tunnel just before Remus saw _him_. Dumbledore showed up and brought us to his office. Snape's still there."

"What about me?" Sirius asked, licking his dry lips. "What did Dumbledore say about me?"

"Nothing… yet." James said. "But I'm sure Snape told him." James replied, falling onto the couch and removing his glasses, to knead his knuckles into his forehead.

"Will he be expelled?" Lily asked fearfully.

"I couldn't tell you." He sighed. "But Sirius-- what made you think to do that?"

"No one calls my friends Mudbloods and gets away with it." Sirius stated edgily. "And having Snape dead seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I just hope everything turns out okay." Lily sighed.

The three of them sat in silence for a while, until James got up wordlessly and headed up to bed.

The next morning was Sunday. Sirius was nowhere to be found all morning. Hoping to find him, Lily headed down to the lake. Sure enough, Lily found Sirius sitting on the wet grass, staring out at the rough waters.

"I dunno what I was thinking, Lily." Sirius said softly, without looking away from the lake. "I honestly didn't think he'd actually go."

"What exactly did you tell him?" Lily asked him quietly.

"Well, he'd always been really curious of where Remus goes on the full moon. So, I told him. All he'd have to do was press the knot on the Whomping Willow, and he'd find out." Sirius sighed.

"And he went to the tree?" Lily asked in shock. "How stupid…"

"I know! I didn't think he'd go! That tree is so violent; it could break your neck. But he went, and he saw Remus. God, Lily… its all my fault."

"It'll be fine." Lily said reassuringly.

"No, it won't. I'll be expelled." Sirius moaned. "My parents will hate me…"

"It'll be fine, Sirius." She repeated.

"Lily, I'm only 16… I have my whole life ahead of me… I can't be expelled!" He said, not hearing a word Lily said.

"You're only 16?" Lily repeated, but realizing that was off subject, she shook herself. "Anyway, just go talk to Dumbledore. Let him hear your side…"

"I should." Sirius replied. He stood up, and wiped the dewdrops of his cloak. "You're a good kid, Lily." He added with a smile, watching her.

Lily smiled. "Thanks."

Sirius came back to the common room late that afternoon. Lily, James, and Peter watched him enter the room. His face looked crestfallen, and it didn't look good.

"Sirius?" Lily prompted softly. Sirius didn't answer but passed her and flumped down on the couch with a frown on his face.

"What did he say?"

"Dumbledore didn't expel you, didn't he?"

Sirius sighed heavily.

"Well?" James and Lily asked.

"He…" Sirius began. Lily bit her lip nervously. "…Said I could stay!" Sirius shouted, his frown melting away into a huge award-winning grin.

"You're staying?!" James shouted with joy. He clapped Sirius on the back.

"That's great Si!" Lily cheered, giving him a hug.

"What about Siverus?" Peter asked.

"He's been sworn to secrecy, and I have to serve 10 detentions… but that's fine by me! Oh- and James, Walter and Snape thought you were in on it, so you have to serve 7… but that's fine! Everything's fine!" Sirius said in all liveliness.

"That's great, Si!" James yelled. Then he paused, and confusedly said, "Wait- 7 detentions?"


	13. Winter Wonderland

_Why am I so addicted to posting?! AHH! Help me; I'm totally being sucked into the fanfiction realm. Would you believe that I was only going to post once a week, and now, here I am on my third posting of the day! I'm listening to Disney on Broadway right now, because I'm that cool… I know you're all jealous… okay, so you might not be, but I DID have cheesecake today, so if you're not jealous of my music selections, you REALLY should be jealous of that cheesecake, because it was damn good._

_Anywho! On with Lily, since we all know that you don't care what I ate for dessert or my pathetic Disney obsessions…_

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**Chapter 13**

**Winter Wonderland**

The day before Winter Break started, a ravenous snowstorm began. Icy sheets of snow whipped through the air, and dark, puffy clouds filled the skies.

It was with a heavy heart that Lily said goodbye to Madison and Belle as they headed home for the holidays after dinner. Lily always stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas, but didn't expect her friends to stay away from their caring families. Lily knew that her house would be empty and quiet all break, so she saw no point in going home.

Lily headed back up to the common room to find it entirely deserted. For a fleeting second, Lily thought she would be the only one staying for the holidays. But then the marauders came tromping down the boys' dormitory steps, laughing to themselves.

"I guess it's just us, again." Lily said pointedly.

"Just imagine all the fun we'll have!" Sirius exclaimed. "Hot cocoa and marshmallows… Strip-Snap every night… what a fine Christmas!"

"It sounded good up to the Strip-Snap part." James chuckled.

"Hey, Strip-Snap is an awesome game!" Sirius defended. "You're just jealous that I'm so good at it!"

"You? Please! You _always_ lose!" James reminded.

"Did you ever consider that he might _want_ to lose?" Lily laughed. "I'm going to bed. G'night."

"Nighty night, Lil-a-roo!" Sirius shouted after her.

When Lily entered her dormitory, it seemed strangely silent. She changed into her pajamas, and crossed to the window. The snow showed no sign of slowing, and Lily checked to be sure that the window was locked securely. She crawled into her bed, and closed the curtains.

A freezing cold draft of air made Lily shiver. She wiggled further down beneath her covers and tried to ignore it. She heard the creak of her door opening, but she overlooked it. Just when she thought she had fallen back to sleep, a _thunk_ made her bed hangings quiver.

Lily reluctantly opened her eyes. To her total shock, her bed was covered in fresh, cold, white snow!

"What the-?" Lily muttered, as she shook snow out of her hair. She yanked back her curtains to see her room blanketed in the snowy powder. It looked as though someone had taken a snow-maker and blown snow every which way.

Then she noticed Sirius standing in the center of the room, making a snowman.

"Sirius Black, what the hell are you doing?" Lily asked, pulling her blankets closer to her.

"Making a snow-dude, what does it look like?" Sirius retorted.

"Do you realize that you're in the _girls'_ _dormitory?_ Shouldn't you be doing that _somewhere else?_" Lily said.

"Oh my gosh! You're right!" Sirius said, stunned. Lily watched as he made two snowballs, and jammed them on the snowman's chest. "There! Now it's a snow_girl._"

Lily scooped up some snow off her quilt and flung it at Sirius.

"What? A snowgirl in a girls' dormitory! What's wrong with that?" Sirius defended.

"You're so stupid!" Lily chuckled. "How did all this get in my room, anyway?"

"I opened the window last night after you'd gone to bed."

"You _what?!"_

"Yeah. If we aren't allowed outside until the storm subsides, I thought I'd bring the snow to us." Sirius reasoned. "It's like a winter wonderland!"

Lily climbed out of her bed, and her toes immediately froze. She tried to pay no attention to the stinging numbness, and grabbed a handful of snow.

"What say we go wake James and Remus up?" She suggested mischievously.

"I like the way you think, Evans." Sirius said evilly, grabbing snow and leading the way to the boys' dormitories.

They cautiously opened the door, and crept inside. The snow in Lily's arms made her pajama sleeves wet and cold, but she shivered and tried to shift their weight.

Sirius pointed silently to one of the beds, while creeping over to another. Lily pulled back the bed hangings stealthily to reveal a sleeping James. She smiled to herself, and looked back at Sirius.

"On the count of three…" He whispered. "One… two… three!" Lily dropped her handful of snow right on James's sleeping face.

"OH GOD!" He hollered, snapping awake in a bolt of lightning, and wiping the ice off of him. Lily laughed as he groped for his glasses and placed them on his now pink nose.

"Sirius!" Remus yelled. "What are you doing!"

"Come on!" Sirius called to Lily as he bolted out the door.

"To my dormitory!" Lily ordered, mid-laughter.

She could hear James and Remus thundering after them, and she slammed the door when Sirius entered.

"Get ready, troops." Sirius chuckled, ducking behind a snow covered trunk, and gathering snow. Lily joined him just as Remus kicked open the door.

"Geeze! What happened in here?" He asked as James joined him, pulling on a robe.

"It snowed." Lily said innocently. James and Remus exchanged a look, then bent down to grab snow. Without question, Lily and Sirius fired snowballs at the two in the doorway.

"Hey! Wait just a minute…" James called, scooping up as much snow as he could while holding out his arm for defense. Then, Remus chucked snow at Sirius and Lily, leaving their faces wet and cold.

The war was on.

Sirius led Lily into battle, firing snowball after snowball. James catapulted tightly compacted snowballs towards them, and with the help of his Quidditch training, his aim was true.

"Time out! Time out!" Lily called helplessly, as James and Remus charged towards her. With an arm-full of snow, James dumped his load onto Lily's head. She trembled with cold, and tried to pull flakes of snow out of her hair as Sirius lobbed snow onto Remus.

"Wait! Stop!" Remus shouted, while Lily flung innumerable snowballs at him. She laughed, as he crouched behind her bed.

"Fall back!" James commanded to Remus, retreating slightly behind one of the beds. But, poor Remus was unable to get there through the heat of the battle.

And just as the fight was getting good, Peter knocked on the open door.

"Yes?" Lily shrieked, as James tackled her, trying to defend Remus.

"Could you lot hold it down? McGonagall's downstairs." He said with more jealously than disgust.

"She is? Uh oh…" James replied, pushing himself off of Lily, and brushing snow off his bathrobe. "You don't think she'll come up here, do you?"

"I sure hope not." Peter replied. "But you'd better get down there. She said she needed to see exactly how many people were still here…"

Lily got up off the now slushy floor, and tried to dry herself off. But it was no use. She grabbed her robe, and hoped Professor McGonagall wouldn't notice that her hair and pajama pants were sopping wet.

"So." McGonagall said as the group of five entered the room looking guilty. "There's only the five of you?"

"Hello, you sexy thang…" Sirius replied, eyeing McGonagall.

"Yes." James answered McGonagall shortly. She eyed Sirius suspiciously as he sneezed.

"Why are you all soaking wet? Remus! Look at your night clothes!" McGonagall scolded. "I do hope you're all behaving…" She said, watching the boys intently.

Sirius sneezed again.

"Perhaps I should check--"

"No!" The marauders and Lily shouted in unison as McGonagall took a step towards the dormitory stairs.

"That's really unnecessary." Lily said. "We'll, uh, check them later… for you, I mean."

"Check what?" Sirius whispered into Lily's ear. She nudged him as hard as she could in the ribs.

"All right…" McGonagall said skeptically. "I'll just go then…"

"See you around, Minerva." Sirius replied, batting his eyelashes.

"Mm hm." She replied, closing the common room door behind her.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"What if she'd checked Lily's dormitory?" Peter asked. "Imagine all the trouble we'd be in!"

"Trouble is our middle name." Sirius said stupidly. "Anyone up for Strip-Snap?"


	14. Christmas

_Hi everybody! Sadly, my play is over at my local theater company! On the upside, I'll have much more time for you guys to post and answer reviews—but I'm upset! Two of my good friends are graduating this year and won't be coming back to the theater ever, and I'm going to miss 'em! sniffs We used to have cheesecake eating parties together… I'm not joking, either!_

_Anyway, I think that I understand your synopsis of Yu-Gi-Oh so far, AnimeAngel90. Hehehe! Maybe the only reason that I didn't get it was because I didn't understand the spirit thing. But thanks! LOL!_

_Yay! Starborn likes cheesecake too! Hooray! You know what's really, really tasty? Cheescake with chocolate crust and caramel drizzled all over the top in all its lusciousness…God, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! AH! And Lion King is my favorite Disney movie ever! That, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast._

_I'm sorry, Virginia, but I really don't want to give out my email address! __L__ Sorry! But I would love to read your stuff when and if you post in on fanfiction! I'll review you all the time!! I pinky-promise!_

_Anywho—Enjoy the new chapter!! I'll probably post another tomorrow… or after dinner… LOL!_

**Chapter 14**

**Christmas**

It was a Christmas Break like Lily had never experienced. Every day was filled with non-stop laughter and fun. Because her room was still drenched, Lily slept in the empty bed in the marauder's dormitory.

Peter didn't appreciate her presence in the room, and made this well known. But nobody else cared, and so Lily stayed.

Each night, Lily and the marauders played wizard chess, roasted marshmallows, or just hung out and talked.

On Christmas Eve, everyone was very excited. The castle was decorated with hundreds of Christmas trees sprinkled everywhere, and sometimes the suits of armor would sing if you asked them to. So, James and Sirius had fun running down the corridors commanding the armor to sing the twelve days of Christmas over and over in rounds. Lily had to admit it was funny, and she even joined in for a while.

When the Christmas feast ended, Lily and the marauders headed back up to the dormitories, yawning, and rubbing their full stomachs.

"Geeze! That feast keeps getting better and better. I dunno how those elves out-do themselves each year." Sirius said, flopping down on the couch in front of the fire.

"Anyone up for some Exploding Snap?" James asked, picking the deck of cards off the table and shuffling them a few times.

"Only if it's Strip-Snap!" Sirius said.

"Sure. For you." James groaned. "Deal you in, Remus?"

Remus considered this for a moment, "Why not? I'll show you all how the master plays Snap." And he joined Sirius and James at the table.

"Peter? Lily?" James asked. "You all know you want to…"

"I'll pass, thanks." Lily replied, grabbing her book off the table and sinking into one of the fluffy chairs.

"Me too." Peter said sharply. He sat roughly into a chair, and scowled over the _Daily Prophet_'s front page.

"Dokey-okey." James said. "Remus, you're first…"

Snap was a lot like Muggle War and Poker combined. Remus placed down a card with a royal and ravishing king on it, and chuckled.

"Beat that." He taunted.

"Don't think I can…" James laughed, glancing over his hand, and tossing down a six. Sirius played even worse, and laughed maliciously.

"You know what that means." Remus said. "King beats 6… and 6 beats 4. Sirius?"

"Oh God…" James moaned, shielding his eyes, as Sirius unbuttoned his cloak and whipped it around his head like a helicopter.

"Bam!" He hollered happily, flinging his cape at Lily. "It's about to get hot in herre!" Sirius took his seat back at the table.     

"Oh yay. I've got Sirius's cloak." Lily cheered unenthusiastically, her sarcasm painfully obvious.

"I know you want it." Sirius said. "Brace yourselves: The Black Magic is at work." He said cockily as he laid down a 7.

"Hm…" James said, throwing a 9 onto the tabletop. "Beat that one, Remus."

"Like this?" Remus sniggered, placing down a 10. "Sirius? Your shirt, please?"

By the time a half hour had passed, Sirius was in nothing but his boxers, James was without a shirt, sox, or belt, and Remus was fully clothed, with only his shoe on the table.

"I think we'd better stop playing before Sirius winds up with no clothes." Remus said, eyeing Sirius nervously.

"Good idea." James chuckled, pulling his shirt back over his head.

"Aw! But it was just getting good!" Sirius moaned. "I actually thought I would win that hand!"

"We're sparing ourselves while we have the chance." James laughed. "Well, I'm off to bed." He said, walking up the stairs, skipping two at a time.

Lily hung around in the common room a little longer talking with Remus, before also heading up to bed.

The next morning, Lily awoke, rubbing her eyes. She sat up in bed, pulled back her curtains, and saw a small pile of presents on the foot of her four-poster.

"Happy Christmas, everyone!" She shouted. Sirius's head popped out from between his curtains.

"Happy Christmas…" Remus slurred.

Lily didn't wait for the others to wake up, but instead ripped open some of her packages. A book from Madison… a bracelet from Belle… and a lifetime supply of candy from the marauders.

"Thanks, guys." Lily said, biting into a Honeyduke's chocolate bar.

She watched the boys open their gifts, and then headed down to breakfast.

There weren't many people still at Hogwarts, but it didn't matter so much. Lily couldn't help but notice that a few of the Hufflepuff seventh year girls were watching James and Sirius intently, and giggling occasionally. They flipped their golden-blonde hair, and batted their eyelashes, trying to get their attention.

"Watch out for those two." Lily warned them in a whisper. "They've been pointing over here for the past twenty minutes."

"Really? Where?" James asked, scanning the hall.

"Them…" Lily replied, pointing the girls out. "Patricia… and Janna, is it?" James watched them carefully, and then leaned over to Sirius.

"Hey Si, what do you think about those girls?" He asked. "They look pretty good to me…" For some reason, this comment made Lily uneasy.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder nonchalantly, and answered, "Sure. Why not?"

Lily turned to watch as James and Sirius excused themselves from the table and made their way over to the girls. She surveyed the scene as the girls laughed hysterically, and placed their hands on James's shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" Remus asked, though he knew full well what she was observing.

"Them." Lily said, nodding towards the Hufflepuff table. "Those girls are so… stupid." She said, watching them flip their hair again.

Remus shrugged and answered, "Well, what can you do?"

"Sirius and James deserve better than them."

"I'd certainly like to think so." Remus said. "But, then again, that's never stopped them before…" He paused, and glanced at Lily. "But I don't think they realize yet that there's more to romance than a pretty face."

"They're immature and thick." Lily hooted. "Everyone knows that."

"Could be." Remus said, shaking his head.

Lily paused for a moment. "I wish they'd grow up, sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because… they always act like nothing's a big deal… when it is."

"You mean James being the Heir of Gryffindor and Sirius almost murdering Snape?" Remus nodded. "Honestly, they are grown up… they just let go a lot of the time."

"Like when were they grown up?" Lily asked in disbelief.

"When James brought you out of the forest? What about when the Death Eaters stopped the train? What about--?"

"Okay, okay." Lily sighed. "I guess they _are_ more mature than I give them credit for." She said, scrunching up her mouth. "But then why do they always act so childish?"

"I don't know." Remus said.

"Maybe they're insecure?"

"Maybe."

At this moment, Lily noticed that Peter was inspecting her. Their eyes met for a moment, then he glanced down at his half-eaten breakfast. An expression of guilt flashed across his face. James and Sirius returned to the table looking pleased with themselves.

"Well?" Lily prompted.

"We are officially dating." Sirius replied smugly.

"Well-- not each other." James corrected.

"We're not?" Sirius asked him, his lip trembling. "But James… I thought we had something special…"

"Sirius!" James silenced him. "Not in front of Peter! Remember the last time…"

"Oh! Right. He got jealous last time…" Sirius said, eyeing him. Lily smiled, and shook her head.

"Freaks." She muttered.

"Who? Us?"

"Shhh! You don't have to advertise it!" Sirius said, putting a finger to his lips.


	15. The Stone of Rialle

_Just kidding… I'll post right now!_

**Chapter 15**

**The Stone of Rialle**

A week later, students started filtering back into the school, and Lily was happy not to be the only girl in the dormitory again. She was relieved to see Belle again, and jealous of her holiday… although Madison seemed to think that Lily's didn't sound so bad.

The snow continued to pulse down from the sky steadily. Lily couldn't help but stare out the windows, wishing it were spring.

The day that classes were due to start, Lily rolled out of bed, groaning and rubbing her eyes.

"Morning." She yawned to Belle. She made her way over to the mirror, and scowled at her frizzy hair. She brushed it, and got dressed, then headed downstairs with her books slung over her back.

"Hey guys." Lily replied, as she caught up with the marauders in the hall. "Going to breakfast?"

"Yup." James said.

"We're dining with Patricia and Janna this morning." Sirius said, raising his eyebrows.

Lily smiled at him slyly. "You're breaking up with them, aren't you?"

Sirius looked astounded. "Are you kidding?"

"Yes, we are." James said, laughing at Sirius. "They aren't as cool as we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"They're brainless ditzes, that's what we mean." He replied. "They giggle at everything, and they're so full of themselves… they're worse than Sirius."

"Hey!" Sirius snapped.

"But they're really not our type. But we're waiting a little before breaking up with them, right Si?" James said.

"Right-o, Jamie-boy."

"Don't call me that."

After breakfast, Lily halfheartedly walked up to Defense Against the Dark Arts, knowing that her holiday was officially over. When she entered the classroom, she sat at her assigned seat, and waited patiently for the bell to ring.

As it sounded, the rest of the class scurried like rats to their seats, and remained seated watching Professor Moody's door.

10 minutes passed.

15…

Where was he?

Finally, 20 minutes after the bell had rung, Moody came rushing into the classroom, his roster in hand, and his travel cloak hanging loosely on his shoulders.

"Morning." He said gruffly. "Get out your books."

The look on his face was murderous, and no one dared to ask where he had been, or what had taken him so long.

Lily pulled out her book, and stared expectantly at the Professor. He was now rustling through papers on his desk, and paying no attention to the class before him.

James cleared his throat loudly and with anticipation, hoping Moody would notice. He didn't.

"Er- Professor? Is something wrong?" Lily ventured softly. Moody's electric blue eye swiveled onto her, while his brown eye focused on his desk.

"What's that, Evans?"

"Is something wrong?" She repeated.

"No… nothing." Moody said-- though nobody believed him. "Class dismissed."

"Sir?"

"We've barely been in here a half hour-"

"And _you_ even less…"

"I said class dismissed." He growled. "Now get out of my classroom."

Lily and James exchanged a glance before packing up their things. When the rest of the class had left, they both approached Moody, James leading the way.

"Sir? Can we help you with something?" He asked cautiously.

"God damn it!" Moody shouted, making Lily take an uneasy step back. "Where _is_ it?!" He yelled, ripping open a drawer, and piling its inner recesses on his cluttered desk.

"Er- where's what, Professor?" James asked, trying to be of assistance.

"Stay out of this, Potter." Moody snapped. "If I've gone and lost it…"

"Alright, sir. We were just trying to help." James replied, moving towards the door thankfully. Lily followed closely, sighing in relief.

"Potter!" Moody barked, as Lily's fingers rested on the doorknob, itching to turn it and run.

"Ye-yes, sir?"

"You can help me, actually." Moody replied, walking over stiffly. His face softened, as he looked at Lily and James. "You both are very kind." He said. Lily would have been flattered, but the scar on his face wiped away all charm.

"What can we do, sir?" Lily said quietly.

"I need you to find a book… it's very important." Moody replied.

"A book?" James repeated.

"Yes- emerald cover… golden buckle… titled _Stones of This Century…_ hard to miss, really." Moody explained, returning to his desk. He scribbled something on a piece of paper, and then hobbled back over. "Here's a note for the restricted section of the library. I might have returned it accidentally."

"All right." Lily said, accepting the note.

"Hurry." Moody begged James.

"Er- okay." James replied, whipping open the door, and hurrying down the corridor. "Geeze! That guy is crazy. All that for a book?"

"It is pretty strange."

"Pretty strange? It's crazy." James said.

"Like him?" Lily suggested, laughing. But they rushed to the library, checked the restricted shelves, but to no luck. They returned to Moody's empty handed.

"That's what I thought." Moody said sadly when he saw them in the doorway. "Could you check one more place before next period?"

"I guess…" Lily said. "Where?"

"Sybil Trelawney's. I think she may have borrowed it." Moody replied. "Just tell her I sent you." James shrugged, and headed back out the door.

"I've never been to the Divination classroom." Lily said, as James led her up a flight of stairs.

"You're lucky." He said. "I hate that class. She's always predicting my death… and I always fall asleep."

"But learning about the future must be fascinating." Lily said. "Isn't it?" She added when she saw James's face.

"No. It's so stupid. She's such a fake." He laughed. "I swear, if any of it's true I'll give you my broom."

Lily snorted. "Seriously? It's _that_ stupid?"

"Yeah. _That _stupid." He said. "Hello Sir Cadogan." James waved to a picture, stopping for a moment. "How goes finding your horse?"

"Good Even, my fine master and mistress. My darling Mable is forever lost, and cannot be uncovered. But I assure you I shall come upon her! A quest is in order, if only I could unearth my fellow knights." The porky knight in the painting replied.

"I'm sorry." James said, holing back a laugh. "See you later."

"Until our next meeting!" Cadogan shouted after them.

"Frightening, isn't he?" James said.

"Just a little." Lily said. James stopped in a circular room with no doors. "Did we take a wrong turn?" She asked.

"Nope." He replied, pointing up to the ceiling. There was a trapdoor that suddenly opened, and a stepladder descended, stopping before their feet. "Come on." James said, heading up the silver ladder.

When Lily popped up into the room, she was immediately shocked. The tower was filled with squashy chairs and tables. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, and the lamps were draped with shawls. There was a heavy smell of perfume, and it was intoxicating.

"Good morning, James." A light, misty voice said from a corner. Lily turned abruptly, and saw a middle-aged woman covered in shawls. She wore huge spectacles that made her eyes look four times too big for her body. Bangles and jewels hung from her neck and wrists, so she glittered unnaturally.

"Hello." James said uncertainly. Lily just nodded. "Professor Moody sent us up here for a book…"

"I fore-saw you coming up here and asking me that." Trelawny said, picking a book up from the table. "So I beseech it to you."

"Thank you…" James said reaching out for the leather bound book. But the Professor didn't give it to him. Instead she was watching Lily, her eyes round.

"Who… who is this?" She asked faintly.

"This is Lily Evans." James said shortly, reaching out for the book again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor." Lily said, smiling. Trelawny didn't take her gaze off of Lily, and it made her uncomfortable.

"Lily Evans? Really?" Trelawny grinned. She looked at James, then Lily. "And your hair is naturally red?"

"I guess so." Lily said awkwardly.

"You don't say." Trelawney chuckled. "I think I would be correct in saying that you are a Sagittarius, dear?"

"Er… I wouldn't know…" Lily said awkwardly.

"Oh. I see." She said disappointedly. "And how long have you two known each other?" She asked, peering anxiously over her abnormally large glasses.

"Us? About 7 years, I guess." James shrugged.

"But we weren't friends until last year." Lily added. "Could we have the book, by chance? We need to get back to class."

"What? Oh yes. Of course." Trelawny said, handing the book to James. "You two take care of each other, now." She said, a hint of I-know-something-you-don't in her voice.

"Er- we will. Thank you." James said, making a face as Trelawney turned around.

"I'm quite serious, James. And I wouldn't make those faces at me, or you'll find yourself in detention." Trelawny said, not looking at him.

"I hate that." James grumbled when they were on their way back to Moody's. "She always acts like she knows everything."

"What if she does?" Lily consoled. "I mean, she knew we needed that book."

"Moody could have told her."

"What about you making faces?"

"Any teacher would have known that." James laughed.

"But why did she care about my hair color?" Lily asked thoughtfully. "You don't think she foresaw something about me?"

"No way." James said, cracking open the book to the marked page. "I wonder why Moody needed this book so badly."

"I dunno." Lily said. "What?" She asked, as James stopped in his tracks.

"What was that stone that Death Eater was talking about?" He asked.

"Er… I don't remember. Like, Rialle or something."

"Rialle? Are you sure?"

"I have no clue. Why?" Lily said.

"Cuz it's in this book." James said, flipping the book over for Lily to see.

"What? You're not serious…" Lily replied, taking the book from James. "You don't think Moody knew, do you? I mean… how could he?"

"Maybe all the teachers know." James suggested. "And the page was bookmarked…"

"Maybe he does know." Lily said, glancing at the page. "It says here: _The Stone of Rialle- pictured on the left- is the only stone of its kind. It's elaborate aqua coloring, and strange circular shape make it original and special. Though small and growing, The Stone of Rialle also holds amazingly shocking powers. It has an intense power source and restorative deep in it's core. The owner of the crystal will have its power and be, in a sense, untouchable. All the owner must do is crack open the crystal, drink the liquid inside, and then they will never be able to be killed, hurt, harmed, or die of old age.  _

_The Alchemist, Mr. Nicholas Flamel- also the maker of the Sorcerer's Stone, made the Stone of Rialle for medical purposes. But because the Stone of Rialle is so powerful, he sees it unfit for human consumption. The Stone is currently hidden for safe keeping until Flamel feels that the world can cope with its awesome power."_

"Wow." James muttered.

Lily nodded, and looked at the picture on the page. The crystal was indeed aqua- but not in so few words. It was a blue as the ocean, and glittered like the sun. I seemed as though the color continued on forever… as though there was more to the thing than met the eye. She couldn't see the supposed restorative inside, but something made her sure it was there. It was impeccably round, like an egg, and appeared to be very smooth. It was almost like the stone was worn flawlessly even by wave crashing upon year after year. By the picture, Lily couldn't tell the size, but it didn't seem to matter.  

"It's so perfect." James commented, peering over Lily's shoulder at the stone.

"Yeah." Lily murmured. Suddenly, the bell rang, snapping Lily back to reality. She slammed the book shut. "We should bring this to Professor Moody. We shouldn't have read this."

"Why not? At least now we know that deranged guy was telling us the truth." James said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what this means, don't you, Lily?" James said excitedly. "It's here! Here in this very castle!"

"What?" Lily breathed. He couldn't mean…

"The Stone of Rialle! It's at Hogwarts!" James repeated. "Somewhere in this castle. That's what those men came for! Not me- the Stone!"

"James, don't be silly." Lily said. "Why would the Stone of Rialle be _here_?"

"I have no clue." James said. "But I do know we've got to find out."

"Are you crazy? That is none of our business, James." Lily said. Lily's argument was not convincing-- not even to her.

"Lily, this _is_ our business. It's Hogwarts's business."

"Exactly! We should stay out of it, James!" Lily retorted.

"Don't be thick. If I know you at all, you're just as curious about this as I am." James said. He was right. Oh God, he was right.

"Come on, James. Let's just bring this to Professor Moody's office." Lily said. "Before a teacher comes."

"Okay fine. But I'm not giving up on this-- and neither are you." James insisted, snatching the book back from Lily and putting it under his arm.


	16. Behind the Looking Glass

_Sorry I didn't post yesterday or the day before. But, here's the next chapter! It's one of those that contributes to the story being rated PG-13, though it's really not all that bad… it depends on how vivid your imagination is, maybe? It's just a little violent. Anyway, enjoy! R&R!_

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**Chapter 16**

**Behind the Looking Glass**

A few days later, at dinner, Lily sat at the Gryffindor table watching James and Sirius with their girlfriends. It was obvious that they were breaking up, and Lily was interested. She couldn't help but chuckle as the two girls burst into tears, and ran out of the hall without even an explanation. Sirius and James returned to the table looking flustered and abused.

"I hate doing that." Sirius muttered to himself.

"Especially when they cry." James said, rubbing his head. Lily noticed he was smiling.

"Well you must be relieved." Lily offered.

"Sure. I guess." James said. "I mean, they _were_ pretty bad, right Padfoot?"

"Here, here." Sirius said solemnly, pumping his fist in the air.

"You both are pathetic." Lily giggled. "I mean, come on; you were always saying how annoying they were." She said, trying to cheer them up.

"That's true, too." James shrugged. "She's right, Si. So perk up, you prat."

"That almost rhymes." Sirius said in a small voice.

James and Lily rolled their eyes. "No kidding." James laughed.

"Anyone want to come back up to the common room with me?" Lily asked.

"Sure." James said. He and Sirius stood up and followed her out of the hall. They moved through the halls silently at first. The silence was soothing and not at all uncomfortable.

With out a warning, all the lights in the corridor blew out suddenly, though there was no wind. The curtains drew themselves closed with invisible hands, and Lily's heart began to thump louder. The corridors were plunged into total, and utter darkness. Lily could hardly see her own nose. Loud piercing screams could be heard from the Grand Hall.

"What the hell?" Sirius muttered, and James and Lily whipped out their wands. Lily looked down the hall, but couldn't see anything.

"What's going on?" Lily whispered.

"I dunno…" James replied. "But we'd better find out."

"Why do you always have to be so God damn _adventurous_, James?!" Sirius moaned. Lily couldn't see Sirius's face, but she knew it was tense.

"Let's just go back to the Grand Hall." Lily suggested. "Dumbledore will know what to do. _Lumos!"_ She said, as her wand tip lit. Now the hall was bathed in it's friendly glow, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. She led the two boys down the Fifth story flight of stairs, and hurried to the next stairs in sight.

When they were just around the corner, she heard a slight creak that made her jump.

"Lily, put out your wand." James whispered sharply. She did, and the three friends looked anxiously around. The stillness pressed in upon them. Lily felt like the whole castle could hear her pounding heart.

Nothing. "Okay. I think it's okay." Sirius murmured softly. "Let's keep moving." They continued through the dark, deserted halls, peering timidly around corners. When Lily's heart had stopped thunking against her ribs, she began to ease up.

But when they heard whispering up ahead, Lily stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh God." She said, her lips and throat dry.

"The stairs have to be here someplace." A woman's voice-- light and nervous. "Let's get out of here, they'll find us."

"You give up too easily." A man—sharp and frustrated. The two people didn't speak again, and Lily prayed they hadn't heard her uneasy breathing. Sirius's face was pale, but James looked determined.

Again, nothing happened. James carefully stared into the dark. "It's clear." He whispered. "They're gone. But that was really too close."

"Who are they? Do you think we should go to the common room and wait? We might be safer there…" Sirius suggested.

"Some stupid Death Eaters don't scare you, do they, Si?" James laughed. Lily sighed angrily.

"You're taking this far too lightly, James." She snapped. "I agree with Sirius. Let's get out of these halls."

"Fine with me." James said, forcing a smile. "Lead the way." He replied, clapping Sirius on the back and pushing him forward.

"Wait-- why me?" Sirius gulped. "I don't want to lead!"

"Your idea, you lead." James said shortly. He paused. "Hang on-- what about the mirror?"

"You mean, the one to Hogsmeade?" Sirius said excitedly. "Good idea! We can get help!"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"There's this passage on this floor, its hidden behind a mirror. We can take it and bring back help." James explained quickly, turning around and backtracking through the shadows.

Lily followed without making a sound. Occasionally, she thought she could hear the swish of a cloak… _was that a laugh? _… But she thought she was just frightening herself.

After what seemed like ages, James, pointed to a magnificent mirror mounted on the wall. "_Dissendium."_ He muttered. The mirror swished itself to the side, and there was a long, dark tunnel leading downward. "Here goes nothing." He whispered, sitting down and sliding downward.

"Ladies first." Sirius said, motioning towards the hole. Lily shoved herself inside. The stone was cold and slick, she smiled to Sirius, and then shoved off, ducking her head.

The tunnel seemed to zoom down for less than a minute- but it twisted and turned so many times, Lily felt sick.  She landed with a muffled thud on a dirt floor.

"You okay?" James asked, as Lily stood up and dusted as much of the dirt off of her as she could manage.

"I think so." She said. "You?"

"Fine. Where's Sirius?" James asked, poking his head up the tunnel. Lily thought of how ironic it would be if Sirius came racing down the tunnel at this very moment.

But he didn't. Instead, Lily and James listened to a subdued shout.

"You don't think…?" James said, biting his lip.

"No! No…" Lily said unconvincingly. She too bit her lip and tried to believe that Sirius was okay.

Thankfully, Lily could hear the sound of someone slipping down the tunnel. Closer, and closer the sound came until the person plopped onto the earth.

"Sirius?!" James shouted. Sirius's hands were bound together, and his mouth was taped shut tightly with Spell-o-tape. Sirius tried to speak behind the tape and looked at the tunnel meaningfully, but it was no use. Lily hurried to Sirius's side, and tried to undo his binds. It was because of this, she didn't see who else came sliding down the channel.

"_Expellarimus_!" A man shouted. Lily and James's wands were ripped from their grip. Lily whirled around to look into the face of a tall man. His features were cast in shadow from the light at the tip of Sirius's wand, and he grinned madly as he looked at the two new wands added to his collection.

There was another sliding sound, and a woman cloaked in black flopped onto the ground.

"Thank you." She said as the man gave her a hand up.

"And thank _you_ for leading us here." The man added to James. "This will be a good passage to know." His voice was sharp as glass, and gave Lily chills. "Step away from him." The man said to Lily, though not looking at her. Lily tried to stand, but her legs wobbled uncertainly like jello, and she couldn't rise.

"I said GET UP!" The man hollered, brandishing his wand at Lily.

"Don't yell at her." The woman said softly. "She could help us later."

"All right." Lily croaked. She stood, and backed away from Sirius's helpless body.

"What should we do?" The woman asked the man.

"I don't know!" He said. "Why do you always expect me to know?"

"Because you usually do." The woman muttered back.

"Let's just kill all three of them and get it over with." The man replied, smiling at them maliciously.

"Please don't hurt us." James said. "We'll lead you out of here… I know the way." He suggested.

"You see?" The woman said to her partner. "You can't just kill people when they piss you off. He'll lead us out."

"Sure he will--right into the hands of Dumbledore." The man snapped. He walked over to the woman, and handed her Lily, James and Sirius's wands. His attitude cooled, and he took a few steps closer to James. "What's you're name, boy?" he whispered calmly. This took James off guard.

"Really, if you just let our friend go, I'll lead you out…" He stuttered.

The man chuckled softly. "What's your name?" He repeated, stepping closer. When James didn't answer, he turned, and snatched Lily's arm and pulled her so their faces were no less than two inches apart. She could smell his hot, sour, stuffy breath and tears started to leak out of her eyes as she watched his nostrils dilate with frustration. 

"Don't, Frank!" The woman shouted.

"Don't what? _He _could be the boy." The man, Frank, said innocently, nodding to James. "He fits the damn description." From within the depths of his cloak, he yanked out a small, shining knife. Lily's heart pounded fast, and her eyes grew wide, she would have screamed, but her throat was taught, and dry. "Tell us your name, and where the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts is." The man said coolly. He pulled Lily closer, and she winced as he brought the knife near her neck. She watched as the sparkling weapon danced near her chest… Why couldn't he just kill her with a wand and get it over with… she couldn't breath… she was going to die…

"Stop." James spluttered. The knife ceased its movement. "Just stop." James tried to move toward the man, but the woman walked over to him and stopped him.

"Talk." Frank commanded. The blade was centimeters from her skin. Lily's chest rose and fell in sharp gasps. "And I'll stop."

"I don't know anything about that Crystal…" James lied. Lily gasped a sharp breath as the man smiled darkly. He lifted the knife again, and brought it closer. He was going to stab her and she would die…

"_Don't…_" Lily whispered--a whisper was all she could manage. She tried to pull away, but his grasp shifted to her elbow and he held fast. "_Please_… _don't_…"

"I'm James Potter. I'm the boy you're looking for." James said frantically, not taking his eyes off the knife. Lily sobbed unwillingly. The dagger was _so_ close…

"Are you?" The man said as though this came as a surprise. Still, he didn't let go of Lily. "Well now! This _is_ interesting."

"Please let her go." James demanded, gulping.

"I think I'll keep her like this until you take us to the Crystal." Frank said, giving Lily a shake. 

"I don't know where it is!" James shouted defenselessly. But that was not what Frank wanted to hear. Again, he pointed the knife at the trembling Lily. She willed herself not to feel anything… it wouldn't hurt… not if she didn't think it would…

"I honestly don't know." James murmured to the woman. "I don't… I can't…"

"Frank, he's probably telling the truth." She replied. "Let's just take him and go."

"I'll come!" James said distraughtly. "Just don't hurt them…"

"I'm not leaving here without that Crystal!" Frank's shout echoed throughout the dirt corridor. "I don't think you understand." He breathed. "If we walk out of here with the Crystal _and_ the Potter boy, we will be honored, Vicky—_honored."_

"They don't know where it is, Frank. It's useless…"

"You give up too easily." Frank cooed. "I have this under control, Vicky." He said. Lily's eyes watched the knife draw close again.

"You're sick!" Vicky shouted. "Really sick! I never wanted to become a Death Eater. You said it would be fun! You promised it wouldn't be violent! But now here you are, threatening to kill innocent kids! How could you, Frank?"

"I'll have none of that from you, Vick!" Frank shouted. He turned back to Lily and eyed her with interest. The knife was dangerously close, and now he was angry. His gaze was threatening and made Lily wish she were somewhere else… anywhere… safe up in her four poster bed… anywhere…

"You let that girl go, or I'll leave. And I'll tell the Minister of Magic everything the Dark Lord Voldemort told me!" Vicky shouted angrily.

"You wouldn't dare." Frank said confidently. He drew himself up to his full height, and brought the knife up to Lily's neck again. _Please… No…_

"_Don't…"_ She whispered again.

"Stop, Frank!" Vicky shouted. "Let these kids go!" She threw the wands at his feet, and James's eyes followed them to the floor and didn't move off of them. Lily could almost see his assessment of the situation formulating in his brain and wondered whether he would grab the wands and save her.

Suddenly, Frank let go of Lily and she collapsed onto the floor, crying. James tried to move toward Lily, but Frank watched him intently.

"Our master wanted to kill you himself, you know. To be sure it was done." Frank said, kicking the wands out of Lily's range and strolling casually toward him.

"I'm sure he did." James said strongly. "Let them go, and I'll come with you-- quietly and calmly."

"James, don't go with him." Vicky said to him desperately. "He'll kill you, James."

"SHUT UP, Vicky!" Frank shouted. "Shut up, or I'll kill _you!"_

But Vicky was no longer listening to him. "James, you've got to watch your back—there are Death Eaters all over the place, and they all want you dead, James… don't trust any of them… They're at Hogwarts, James…"

It happened in a flash of the blade. Frank shouted in rage and shoved Vicky into the earthy wall and killed her. He stabbed… and stabbed…

Lily covered her face as her uncontainable screams joined Vicky's in a gruesome chorus. James wasted no time and hurried to the wands. He grabbed them, and shouted some spell… he grabbed Lily in his arms, and pulled her and Sirius out of the way. James shielded his and Lily's eyes as the ceiling crashed down all around them.

When the dust and rubble had cleared, there was no sign of Frank or of Vicky. There was now a huge wall of stone separating the tunnel entrance from the exit.

"Here, Si." James said, ripping the tape off of Sirius's face unbound his hands. Sirius said nothing, but put his hands over his stinging mouth. Steady, salty tears were pouring down Lily's face, and her hair was damp with sweat.

"Oh Jesus…" Sirius muttered, looking at the rock wall. "What happened?" He asked, although he didn't expect an answer.

"How…?" Lily began faintly, but she couldn't find it in herself to finish.

"Come on." James said. "Climb." He urged Lily pointing to the tunnel.

"I can't…" Lily whispered. It felt like a steamroller was plowing over her lungs…

"Yes. Yes you can." James impelled quietly.

"Give her a second, James." Sirius said protectively. He moved to Lily and held her tightly, as she cried on his shoulder.

"We don't _have_ a second, Sirius!" James shouted, taking Lily out of his arms and pushing her towards the tunnel. "We have to get back up to the school!" He yelled, on the verge of hysterics.

Sirius shook his head. "It'll be okay, Lily." He replied solemnly.

James helped her into the tunnel and the three of them inched their way back up the short, but curving passage. The slippery walls made it hard to advance forward, but eventually, Lily found her head poking out of the mirror hole.

The lights were back on, but no one was in the corridor. Distant shouts could be heard, but Lily didn't care… she didn't care…


	17. Deepest Sympathy

**Chapter 17**

**Deepest Sympathy**

It was instant and unnecessary popularity. Everyone in the whole school had found out what had happened, and seemed thoroughly and downright _proud_. And even though Lily didn't even want to think about it, _she_ was the one people turned to, to find out the blow-by-blow details.

It was as though everyone in the school became best friends with Lily overnight, all for something she'd rather forget. She was constantly in the spotlight. Even when she was just doing her homework, people would rush up to her to talk, or just watch her from afar. Lily wasn't sure which was worse.

There were only the select few people who didn't seem to think that Lily had acted heroically behind the mirror-- Lily for one-- but Lucius Malfoy thought that she was just trying to sit in the limelight for once.

But the thing that made days at Hogwarts unbearable was the fact that everyone believed. Everyone-- including the small first years and the ghosts, and the teachers-- _everyone_ believed that Voldemort was real. Nobody questioned that he was powerful. Nobody thought that it was over.

But most of all, nobody would say his name. People started to think that Voldemort would pop up out of the earth and kill you if you even whispered his name. It was cursed. If you said 'Voldemort', students would gasp softly and look away, as though it were a vile and sick swear word. Only Lily and the marauders and Belle felt comfortable using his real name. But when they did, people gave them strange and uncomfortable looks. One pupil even told them to shut the hell up.

But the weird and admiring looks only made Lily uncomfortable. Couldn't they just suck it up and back off? Why were they all acting like such babies?

Sure, it was scary—Lily now knew that more than anyone. But as Dumbledore told everyone one cold, crisp, rainy morning, "Fear in a name only increases the fear in the thing itself." Couldn't people take that advice seriously and stop calling Voldemort _You-Know-Who _and_ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?_

But the one thing that bothered Lily the most was the fact that everyone thought she was like a bomb, or something, that was about to explode in tears. The teachers constantly were asking if she was okay, or if she needed to see the nurse. McGonagall was always reminding her that if Lily needed to talk, she'd be there. It made Lily want to puke. But when Sirius and Remus started asking if she was all right, she snapped.

"YES! I'm fine! Could you all just STOP?!" She hollered at them.

"Geeze. Okay." Sirius said, making a face.

The whole situation didn't even seem to be bothering Sirius. He had just shrugged the whole thing off. He answered the questions truthfully when asked, but otherwise avoided the topic and went back to being his ordinary, goofy self. He almost seemed to be taking it upon himself to lighten everyone's spirits. It worked, of course.

James, on the other hand, had gone into silence. He would perk up, but as soon as Voldemort was brought up--boom. He was off in no-man's-land. Lily got the impression that he was doing deep thinking at times like these, but as soon as the topic wore off, he was back to himself.

Something that did keep James's spirits high was the Marauder's Map. One night he brought it out to show Lily, and she was amazed.

He just tapped his wand on the paper, muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." And the map of Hogwarts materialized before her eyes. It spread out like a spider web, twisting and turning and drawing itself, until it was finished. There were at least seven passages to different places. All of them were clearly marked and Lily suddenly noticed that there were little ink people strolling through the halls.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the little ink person labeled Minerva McGonagall.

"That's Professor McGonagall." James said happily. "See, we made the map so it could show you where _people_ were, as well as passages. It helps for sneaking out." He explained.

"Oh! I get it." Lily said. "So you won't run into people you don't want to?"

"Exactly." He said.

So, with the Marauder's Map nearly completed, James was looking happier and happier. And with the Hogsmeade trips slowly approaching, Lily was sure that James was hoping to test their invention then.

A few days later, another letter from Amos Diggory arrived in the owl post. Lily suddenly had a pang of guilt in her lower stomach when she remembered that she hadn't mailed a letter back all year.

     _To my darling Lily Evans,_

_            I heard what happened at Hogwarts only but two hours ago. I can't express in words how horrible and afraid I feel. Are you all right? Those Death Eaters didn't hurt you, did they? You have all my prayers to a speedy recovery. _

_            Everyone I talk to assures me that you're safe, and that they were after some James Potter. Lily, I must suggest that you stay away from that boy until these horrendous attacks subside and this crackpot You-Know-Who is behind the Azkaban bars. _

_            The Ministry of Magic is trying to convince Dumbledore to allow Azkaban guards at Hogwarts, but he flat out refuses. He says they're untrustworthy and we shouldn't have them at Azkaban, even. Why he feels so strongly about this, I don't know. But with a little more convincing, we'll have Dementors at the school gates as soon as possible to ensure that this doesn't happen again._

_            I just want to express my deepest sympathy that this happened to you. It shouldn't have. You don't deserve to live in hiding… and I know that's destined to be the fate of James Potter. _

_            To be honest with you Lily, I was worried when I didn't receive any letters from you this year. I hope that you still _want_ to hear from me._

That stab of guilt again.

            _I just pray you GOT those letters. I know that if you give us a chance, you'd see. We're meant for each other, Lily Evans. I love you._

_Hoping to hear from you_

_With all my love, now and forever,_

_Amos Diggory _

Lily sighed. Strangely, the first thing she thought when she had finished was that he called Voldemort _You-Know-Who._ He was afraid, just like everybody else.

 So he still loved her. Lily reread the letter again, and again after that. Did she like getting these letters from Amos? They made her feel strangely. But was that a good thing?

Lily wasn't quite certain, but she pulled out a blank piece of parchment anyway. Then she thought. Could she honestly tell Amos that she loved him? Should she say that she loved his letters… and wanted to marry him?

Did she?

She assured herself that she didn't. Besides, 17 was too young to get married-- even if she wanted to. _Which I don't, anyway._ And she most definitely didn't love Amos. Sure, she thought he was nice, but as far as a boyfriend goes, Lily was sure Amos wouldn't make a good one.

_Dear Amos,_

_                   Yes, I got each one of your letters. To be honest, I thought that they were very kind and you flatter me._

Lily quickly crumpled that letter up. It sounded too formal… and Amos wasn't dear. And the letters didn't flatter her. She wasn't going to lie to him.

_Hey Amos!_

_                   I'm doing all right, I guess. I mean, obviously, I'm not perfect. But everything's getting a lot better now. And no, the Death Eaters didn't hurt me-- only mentally._

_                   But anyway, yes, I got all of your letters. To be honest, the first one surprised me so much, I didn't know what to write back. So I didn't. Then, when the second one came, I still didn't know what to say. I'm speechless, Amos. I still don't know what to tell you._

_                   All I know is that I'm shocked. _

_                   Why do you love me? Is there a good reason? Because I know from experience that it's impossible to love somebody as goofy, and uncoordinated as me. And I know that you have high expectations for yourself… and that's good. But I don't understand how you could adore me as much as you do. Don't get me wrong-- it's sweet… but I don't get it.  _

_                   But please don't say you love me. You really don't even know who I am, anymore. You haven't talked to me in over a year… how can you really want me? I mean, if you really love me, then you have to understand that I need time. I hardly even know you. The only things I know are what you've said in your letters.  _

_          As for marrying you! I really doubt that will work out, Amos. You have to be serious. You're 19, and I'm only 17. I don't know if you were only joking, but it sure sounds like it. You always think things through to the end… and that's what I like about you. _

_So think this through, and you'll see that it will only take us to a place that we cannot go. Especially now._

_And as for staying away from James! I can't believe that you would even say something like that! James is amazing, and you've never even met him. It's not like he's leading me into danger… I just tend to follow him. He protects me, anyway. I'm sure you heard what happened in my 6th year, so I won't even explain. But you're not my parent… or my boyfriend, so don't try to be._

_From your _friend,__

_Lily Evans   _

Lily read over her letter. It was harsh, but that was how she felt. If he hated her for it, then so be it. Maybe it would be better that way. The thing that confused her was why Amos seemed to hate James so much. He'd never really met James before… unless you counted playing against him in Quidditch. It almost seemed as though he thought she and James were going to run off and get married… leaving Amos Lily-less. But that was just sad, desperate and pathetic.

Lily shrugged, and put her letter in an envelope and addressed it carefully in her best handwriting. Maybe now Amos would get a clue.


	18. Hogsmeade

_Back again and making up for lost time yesterday! Ha! I just ate a whole freakin' pack of tropical starbursts. I'm so bad! Ahhh! Anywho, Y'all need to read Kylah's fic—it's cool! And she's gonna be posting chapter 3 soon, so read it, review it, love it. And same for mine! Hehehe!_

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**Chapter 18**

**Hogsmeade**

Lily awoke the next morning bright and early. Fresh fallen snow was smothering the Hogwarts grounds like a giant, white, blanket. Lily got dressed and headed down to the common room. There she saw the marauders gathered around a table whispering to themselves.

"Hey guys. What're you up to?" She said cheerfully, joining them at the table.

"Plotting." Sirius said naughtily.

"Plotting what, exactly?" Lily asked, her lips cracking a smile.

"We're plotting the ultimate test of the Marauder's Map." Remus chuckled.

"Oh, I'm intrigued! And how will you manage this?" Lily asked them.

"Well, as you know, our boy, James, is unable to go to Hogsmeade this year." Sirius began, clapping James on the back. "So we thought, why not test the map today?"

"Yes, but _how?"_

"I'm getting there!" Sirius said exasperatedly. "So while the rest of us are waiting in Honeydukes Candy Shop, James will be on his way to Hogsmeade."

"You can do that?" Lily said excitedly. "You'll sneak into Hogsmeade?"

"Right into the Honeydukes basement!" James said proudly. "It's going to be perfect!"

"Are you going to bring along your father's invisibility cloak?" Lily asked him.

"Are you joking? What's the point? Nobody will care." Peter answered for him. Lily scowled at the note of cockiness in his voice.

"It was just a question." Lily defended.

"A stupid one." Peter retorted.

"A wise Professor once said that there _are_ no stupid questions." Lily said back, slapping a fake grin on her face.

"Whatever. It's just like you, Lily, to be quoting Hogwarts professors." Peter laughed. No one joined in.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Actually, it was Headmaster Dippet who said that. Not just some common teacher."

"Ooooh! I can see the difference there!" Peter laughed again coldly. Lily frowned and stood up sharply. She would slap him… who would stop her?

"Oookay!" Sirius said, standing up, too. "I think that's quite enough of _that_ for one day!" He paused, then smiled sarcastically. "Can't we all just agree to disagree?"

Everyone but Peter and Lily chuckled. "I think you're right Sirius." Remus replied. "Lily? Peter? Shake hands and call it a truce."

"Time to bury the hatchet!" James piped in.

"Stick a fork in it, cause its done." Sirius added happily. Everyone stared at him then broke out laughing again.

"Okay. Fine by me." Lily replied, putting her hand out for Peter to shake it. Peter stared at her hand for a second, hesitating.

"Common, Wormtail. It's not that big of a deal." Sirius said encouragingly. Peter continued to stare. Then, as he made up his mind, he stood up and walked out of the room.

"I can't be a friend with someone who steals _my_ friends." He said, closing the portrait hole behind him with a loud slam.

"Someone's bad off this morning." Remus said, biting his lip. "You think he's all right?"

"Sure he is. Wormtail always bounces back." James shrugged. "I mean, he's said that stuff before… don't worry, Lily. He didn't mean any of it."

"Whatever you say." Lily said, retracting her hand with as much dignity as possible. What was Peter's problem? "You know, if anyone should be mad, it's me." She said.

"Huh?"

"Well, he did try to kill me last year, after all." She said angrily. "Didn't he?"

"Yeah… I guess. I never really thought of it like that." James replied.

"Well he _did,_ didn't he?" Lily said. "He stole my locket and flung it in the forest… he told James not to go in after me… he tricked Remus…"

"Calm down, Lily." Remus said.

"I am _perfectly_ calm, Remus." Lily breathed. "And he has no reason to be mad at _me_. I never did anything to _him_."

"Whateva!" Sirius said. "Anybody up for breakfast before Hogsmeade?"

"Sure thing, ol' buddy, ol' pal." James said, taking Sirius's arm and the two of them skipped down to the Grand Hall together.

"How cute." Lily chuckled.

"Adorable." Remus said, rolling his eyes and laughing. "Care to join me for breakfast?"

"That all depends…" Lily said.

"On what?"

"If you can keep up." She said, offering her arm. Remus took it, and they skipped after James and Sirius.

"We SO beat you guys!" Lily laughed breathlessly, tumbling into a chair in the Grand Hall.

"Did not! It was a tie!" Sirius moaned.

"_And_ you had a head start!" Remus added.

"Oh! I'm exhausted!" James said dramatically, putting a hand on his forehead and fainting into Sirius's arms.

"Geeze, drama queen. Contain yourself." Sirius said shoving James upright.

"I'm not a drama queen." James replied. "I'm a drama _princess!"_

"Big difference." Lily laughed. "Well I think you're a pretty, pretty princess."

"Why thank you, my dear." James said, pretending to flip his hair. "No autographs, please."

"No one asked for one, your highness." Remus said, bowing in his seat.

"That's because they can't see true talent when it dances naked in front of their faces." James snapped.

"You tell 'im, Jamie-boy." Sirius said proudly.

"That's right." James laughed. "Oh, and Si?"

"Yesh?"

"Don't call me Jaime-boy."

Lily, Belle and Madison arrived in Hogsmeade shortly after the marauders. James wasn't there, but they all headed straight to Honeydukes to wait for him. Hogsmeade always looked just like a Christmas card. All the houses had little thatched roofs and the streets were paved in cobblestones. It was the only all-wizard establishment in Britain next to Diagon Alley, and was it very popular.

Lily and her friends hurried to Honeydukes Candy Shop. They were surprised to see that it was crammed with Hogwarts students trying to buy candies and sweets. They waited around anxiously, pretending to be looking at the shelves and shelves of appealing candies.

Finally, just as they were about to give up on James, he appeared at Remus's side. The knees of his pants had some dirt stains and his face was a little flushed, but other than that, you couldn't tell that he hadn't arrived with his classmates.

"James!" Sirius called. "You made it! It's your birthday… not really, party anyway!" He sang, breaking out into a disco.

"Si, would you shut up?" James hissed. "I'm trying to keep a low profile, here." He said, looking nervously around the shop.

"Okay, okay." Sirius said. "Low profile, I get it."

"I guess the Map worked then, huh?" Lily asked.

"Like a dream!" James sighed, mellow-dramatically. "Now let's go visit Madam Rosmerta and get some butterbeers, okay?" He replied, leading the way out of the candy store and across the street to the pub, The Three Broomsticks.

"James! Sirius!" Madam Rosmerta called from the bar. "How are you all?" She asked cheerfully. She flipped her curly blonde hair, and threw down a dishtowel.

"Why hello, Rosie." Sirius said, pulling James up to the bar. "And how are you this fine winter morning?" He asked, kissing her on the hand.

She slapped his hand away playfully and said, "Just fine, boys. What can I get for you?"

"Seven butterbeers, if you please." James said, smiling. He and Sirius took a seat at the bar, and they chatted to Madam Rosmerta while she prepared the drinks and laughed hysterically at their jokes.

When the drinks were ready, James and Sirius brought them over to the table. Lily drank deeply from her cup, and felt her insides instantly warm. It felt like the liquid was sinking into her bones, and comfortably heating her up.

When she had finished, Remus asked, "Hey Lil, you want to go for a walk?"

"Con mucho gusto." Lily replied in Spanish.

"Glad to hear it." He chuckled, as Lily stood up.

"Thanks for the drink, Rosmerta. My money's on the table." Lily called.

"My pleasure, Lily. Have a nice day!" Rosmerta said, walking over to their table to collect the money before James and Sirius pocketed it.

The wind picked up as Remus held the door open for Lily. Her red hair blew into her face, and she twisted it around with her hands to control it. She walked beside Remus- their elbows touching.

"Where are we going?" She asked, as the number of houses started to thin. Remus smiled.

"I'm not sure." He said.

"Okay." Lily laughed. "You're being spontaneous, then?"

"Hey-- the well-mannered marauder can be unpredictable _sometimes_, right?" Remus said cheerfully.

"Sure he can." She laughed again.

As the road grew steeper, they stopped talking. Remus led her up the winding path with a grin on his face. Her hair whipped her face, but it was comforting being in Remus's company. He wasn't like the other marauders. It was almost like you could read him… or he could read you-- One of the two. But you didn't have to pretend in front of him. You could be who you wanted to be.

"The Shrieking Shack?" Lily asked, as they reached the top of the hill and looked at the huge, rotting mansion. The Shrieking Shack was supposed to be the most haunted dwelling in Britain, but Lily and the marauders knew better. It was Remus who made the frightening sounds there in his werewolf form.

"Yeah." Remus said. He almost looked surprised. "I didn't expect to come _here_."

"Why not? That's where that road leads, isn't it?" Lily chuckled, leaning against one of the old fence posts, and looking up at the house. It creaked and groaned a little in the wind. "You know, Remus? The Shack would be really pretty if somebody fixed it up."

"I guess so. I never really thought about it much." Remus said, joining Lily by the fence. "It's too old now, of course."

"Yeah." Lily agreed. "But you've seen the inside too, haven't you?" She said. "Is it as pretty as the outside _could_ be?"

"No. Not really." He said softly.

Lily sighed and didn't say anything. She shouldn't have brought up the fact that he'd been inside the ancient house. It was a touchy subject with him sometimes-- and for a good reason.

"Aw, Lily. Don't get all quiet on me now." Remus said, his tone playful.

"I hadn't noticed." She lied, not taking her eyes off the house.

"We could talk about it, if you want." Remus suggested.

Lily decided to play dumb. "What?"

"You know, about me being a werewolf." He said. "You look kind of uncomfortable. I don't mind talking about it."

Lily noticed for the first time that he had been staring at her. "Do you _want _to talk about it?"

"I don't mind." He repeated. "I just thought you might…"

"I'm fine." Lily said. She wondered if he could tell she was lying. Why was it so hard for her to open up to him?

"No you're not."

"How would you know?" Lily snapped.

"I can tell. You're not comfortable around me when you want to ask me something." Remus said with a twinkle in his eye that reminded her of Dumbledore.

"I'm fine, Remus." Lily said. She paused slightly, hesitating. "It's just… you kind of scare me sometimes."

"I scare you?" He said. His face fell. He opened his mouth for a second, to say something, but Lily spoke up quickly.

"No!" Lily interjected. "Not because you're a… a werewolf. It's something else… but I'm not sure what it is." She said. "It's kind of hard to explain. But it's not because of that… never because of that."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's strange. You're easy to talk to, but I don't know what to say. You're easy to trust, but I don't know if I can…" She said. "Okay, you think I'm stupid now…"

"No I don't." Remus said. "You're like a little sister to me. I don't know what we'd all do without you."

"And you're the greatest person I've ever met." Lily said seriously, putting her arm around him and gave him a one-arm hug.

"I try…" Remus said, laughing richly. "Want to head back?"

"Sure." She said. "Need an arm?" She asked, offering her elbow.

"Why not?" He said, laughing again. He wrapped his arm through hers and they walked down the hill together, joking and laughing.

When they reached the main street, they found the marauders, Belle, and Madison playing around outside Zonko's Joke Shop. James and Sirius each had a bag of goodies, which came as no surprise, as they both loved Zonko's.

"Hello there." Sirius waved energetically as Remus and Lily approached them. "We were just about to head on back. What do you think?"

"Sure." Lily shrugged. "I'm ready. But James… hadn't you better get through Honeydukes before it closes?"

"Oh geeze! You're right." James said, picking up his bags quickly. "See you guys at dinner."

"No! Don't leave me!" Sirius moaned after him. He sunk to the floor in fake sobs.

"Oh please." Belle groaned, pulling Sirius up by his elbow. "Let's get out of here, before you make a fool of yourself."

"I'd thought he already had." Madison smirked.

Lily laughed, and followed the others back to the Hogsmeade train station. The horseless buggies were sitting contently outside waiting for them.


	19. Fidelius Charm

_Here I go again! Posting 10 billion times a day… sighs. Oh well, I'm sure that you guys don't care. I just feel like a dork! LOL! Oh wait—that's because I am, duh!_

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**Chapter 19**

**The Fidelius Charm**

After lunch on Thursday, Lily, Belle, and Madison hurried to the fifth floor for Charms with the Ravenclaws. Lily sat down in her assigned desk, and pulled out her books. A few minutes before the bell declared the start of classes, short little Professor Flitwick came shuffling into the classroom, loaded with books.

"Do you need any help professor?" Lily asked politely, approaching her teacher, who only came up to her hips.

"Oh, no thank you, Lily…" He muttered, placing the books on his desk with a loud clunk.

The bell rang, and students scurried to their desks and pulled out their materials. They all sat patiently, while Flitwick climbed up his platform so everyone could see him.

"Right." He began. "Open up your books to page 337, please. This week we'll be studying the Fidelius Charm." There was a flipping and shifting of pages before he continued. "Now, the Fidelius Charm is immensely complex, and I only teach it to my seventh years."

"I've heard about this charm…" Madison whispered to Lily. Was she bragging, or informing?

"Now, this charm involves the magical concealment of a secret inside one person. This person is called the 'Secret-Keeper'. The information is hidden deep inside the Secret-Keeper, and is literally impossible to locate. Unless," He paused, "The Secret-Keeper chooses to tell it. But as long as the Secret-Keeper didn't divulge the furtive information, someone could try and try to find the person, or the information forever… they wouldn't be able to find it out!

"It's really very useful. Especially for wizards and witches under the witness protection program-- which is what it's mainly used for today." Flitwick said. "Now tonight, I want you to come up with a secret. Anything will do-- who you have a crush on, what you're going to do when you graduate- _anything_ that no one else knows_._ Then I want you to think up one person that you trust more than anyone else-- in this classroom, of course." He smiled out at all the confused faces.

"I know what you're all thinking." Flitwick chuckled. "_Why?_ Well, I figure that the best way for you to learn about the Fidelius Charm is to perform it yourselves. You'll do the potion in potions class… then we'll do a modified version of the charm on you and whomever you trust. Sound good?" There were some nods of agreement.

"And don't worry: The version we'll do will wear off in an hour or so." Flitwick added. "And don't forget to think up your secret-- it's the easiest homework you'll have this year!" He replied, chuckling.

"Now the format for speaking your secret is very simple. You might want to take out some paper for some notes here…" Flitwick continued.

Lily had no question of whom she trusted. Her first thought was Belle… but then she found her thoughts moving to Remus. She trusted Remus with all her heart… she could rely on him.

But the harder thought was a secret. What did she know that Remus-- or Belle-- didn't? What could she tell them?

Obviously, she knew tons of secrets…

The fact that she knew James, Sirius, and Peter were Anamangi… that they made a map that could sneak James out of Hogwarts… James was the heir of Gryffindor… and then the Stone of Rialle…

But those weren't _her_ secrets. Those were the marauder's secrets. What secret did _she_ have?

She thought of her diary that was still hidden in her trunk… and she remembered that she hadn't touched it all year. She didn't like anybody… or so she thought… so what could she say?

Then it hit her-- Amos's letters.

She hadn't told anyone about his love confessions, and if that wasn't a secret, she didn't know what was.

This would be no problem.

So Lily came to class the next Monday with her head held high, thinking about Amos and Remus. But just as she sat down, her plan was dramatically changed.

"Oh Lily!" Madison sighed, sliding into the desk right in front of Lily, and looking relieved.

"Yes?" Lily asked.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I trust you _so_ much. I know we haven't had a chance to talk much recently, but I still think of you as my best friend in the whole wide world. Would you be my Secret-Keeper? Please?" Madison asked, looking deep into Lily's eyes.

"Of course, Madison…" Lily replied, watching Remus enter the room and sit down. She paused, and then added regretfully, "Will you be mine?"

"Oh, of course Lily! I'm so pleased that you'd ask!" She squealed with joy. "So… what's your secret?"

"I don't think I can tell you yet." Lily said, glancing away from Madison's eager face. "I mean, we should wait until the spell is cast, don't you think?"

"Oh.  I'm sure you're right." Madison replied, looking downcast. "See you." She added softly as Professor Flitwick entered the classroom.

"Good morning students! Are you ready to cast the Fidelius Charm? Good… good…" He replied, walking briskly to his desk. "Now then. Let's get started. Pull out your wands and open your books to page 339.

"Now please pair up with your Secret-Keepers and your Secret-Givers." He added. There was the loud scratching of chairs being shoved out of the way as people matched up. Lily stood uncomfortably next to Madison. She smiled at her, but realized that she was watching Remus and Peter…

"All settled? Good." Flitwick said, climbing on top of a pile of books so he could be seen. "Now this is very serious. Anyone messing around will be thrown out immediately… Isn't that right, Messrs. Black and Potter?" He added, eyeing Sirius and James warningly.

"Here I have the potions that you concocted on Thursday." Flitwick said, pointing to the large cauldron of bubbling purple liquid. He hopped down off the books with a thump, and teetered over to it. He climbed up another stack of encyclopedias, and dipped a mug into the liquid. It hissed and frothed wildly. Foam issued from the cup and he smiled and handed it to a Ravenclaw boy.

"Now, Mr. Davies, I'm going to read the spell-- because someone uninvolved in the secret must read it- and then in the space provided, say your secret in the format we discussed last week. Understand?" Flitwick asked. Zack Davies nodded.

He took a deep breath, and picked up his pages of notes. The class watched him with bated breath.

"And Mr. Chang…" Flitwick turned to Ling Chang. "After he speaks his secret, you will read the passage out of the book, all right?"

"Yes, professor." Ling replied, picking up his book with slightly shaking hands. Lily was glad that she and Madison didn't have to go first…

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat and recited, "_Un segreto da tenere non lo ha lasciato mai andare per esso può provocare la maggior parte dei degli eventi."_

Without warning, the room became slightly darker. It was as if someone had closed all the blinds, although the sun was still shining out the windows… A swirling light blue mist twisted up from somewhere… it almost seemed to be coming from Zack, Ling, and Flitwick.  

_"Un destino della persona si fida di di voi che è il vostro__horrendous__decisione da proteggere o a__denunci."_

After a sharp look from Flitwick, Ling nodded and said, "Oh right_…__ Sia guidato dalla luce di quella quello chi mette la loro vita in vostre mani.__"_

Zack leaned in to Ling, and whispered something in his ear. Everyone there knew that he was telling his secret. They looked at each other, eyes shining with pride, and each took a long drink from the mugs of frothing potion. Their faces screwed up with dislike.

"Ugh… this stuff is gross…" Zack groaned softly.

The room seemed smothered in an inhuman silence, as everyone watched anxiously for what would happen next. Then, as if the potion had just hit the pits of the boy's stomachs, they both jolted, and gasped for a breath. There was a bright purple light that came sparkling from the center of Zack's chest… the light slowly transferred itself towards Ling, who watched it nervously as it hit him in the torso.

As soon as it started, the blue light faded… as did the purple, and the room was filled with sunshine again.   

"And that's all!" Flitwick declared happily. "You two boys have done it!"

"Really?" Ling cheered. The class broke out into applause.

"And you know what this means, don't you, Ling?" Flitwick prompted, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

"His secret is safe, unless I choose to divulge it." Ling said pompously.

"Right, but only for a few hours. I wouldn't have you perform a full-blown version of the Fidleus Charm… that takes hours, and is much more dangerous. And don't worry, they won't have any memory of your secret after the charm wears off."

Lily glanced at Remus quickly. She wished that she was telling Remus about Amos's letters… instead of Madison. She didn't really think she could trust Madison, but she guessed she'd have to.

"Now, each of you come up here and get some potion. Then go ahead, and do the ceremony. Zack and Ling are here to read the initiation… or you can grab another pair of Secret-Keepers. You may begin." Flitwick instructed.

"Lily, would you go get the potions for us?" Madison asked. Lily noticed she was watching James and Sirius.

"Er… okay." She replied, moving towards the cauldron.

"Here, Lily." James said, handing her a mug of the lavender fluid. The lights slowly dimmed again, as students started their charms.

"Thanks…"

"So who's your Secret-Keeper?" He asked, dipping another mug into the fizzing potion.

"Madison." She replied, accepting the second mug.

"Oh. I didn't think that you two were really that great of friends anymore…" He said, not looking up from the cauldron.

"Sure we're still friends!" Lily said, aghast. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"It's not that, I just… thought you'd pick Remus, that's all." James said, a little softer. "Well, good luck with your secret." He said, hurrying back over to Sirius.

"Madison?" Lily said, approaching her. "Ready?"

"Yeah… hey James!" She called. "Want to give us a hand with our charm?"

"What're you…" Lily began, but James shrugged, and he and Sirius headed over to them.

"Want us to read the initiation for you?" James asked.

"Oh, would you?" Madison grinned.

"Sure…" Sirius said, making a face as Madison turned to pick up her book.

"Right here…" Madison said, standing very close to James, and pointing to the paragraph.

"Um, okay." James said, taking a step away.

"Lily can go first." Madison snapped heatedly. Lily shrugged.

 "Ready?" James asked Lily. She nodded and he read, "_Un segreto da tenere non lo ha lasciato mai andare per esso può provocare la maggior parte dei horrendous degli eventi._" The blue mist sprung up around Lily's feet.

Lily said her part softly, then Madison continued.

_"S__ia guidato dalla luce di quella quello chi mette la loro vita in vostre mani__"_

Lily quickly said her secret ("_Mosa Iggoryd ays eh ovesl em.") _without stopping. No one seemed to have caught what she had said, and Lily was glad.

Lily and Madison drank from their cups. Lily's mouth filled with a bitter, sour, lip-puckering flavor that tasted like white wine mixed with limes. It was thick and chunky- almost like tapioca pudding. It sizzled and popped as it oozed down her throat.

"Ew." Lily mumbled.

"Gross, eh?" Sirius chuckled. "You should see the looks on your faces!"

"Shut up." Lily said hoarsely. Suddenly, the purple light emerged from her chest… it glittered until it reached Madison. The smoke and purple light vanished.

"Need us to read yours?" Lily asked James, breathlessly. She put a hand to her torso, and gulped.

"Why not?" James said, handing the book to her.

When class was finished, everyone filed out quickly. Lily had the sinking feeling that her secret wouldn't be a secret for long… especially if Madison was Keeping it.


	20. Mad Eye Moody

Chapter 20 

**Mad Eye Moody**

Later that week, on Wednesday night, James approached Lily in the common room while she was busy doing her homework.

"Lily…" James said, sitting down at Lily's table, and rudely shoving some of her books out of his way.

"What is it, James? I'm trying to concentrate…"

He just waved that aside, and brought out a book from his bag. "I thought that this might interest you." He replied, passing the heavy, leather volume to her.

"And why would it interest me?" She asked accepting the book.

"Give you three guesses." He teased. Lily rolled her eyes and observed the book. The cover was well made, and looked old. The deep red had faded slightly, and the edges of the pages were tinted yellow with age. It was titled _A Guide to Magical Mechanisms_ in large gold writing_. _"And the first two guesses don't count."

"I don't know, James. Make your point." She said, holding the book out for him to take back.

"Seriously, Lil. Look inside." James pressed.

"James--"

"Do it. Really." He said, pushing the book back to her. Lily glared at him for a second, but opened the book. The pages stuck together slightly, and Lily had to be careful so as not to rip them. Inside was elegant handwriting that Lily didn't take the time to read. She turned another page, and saw, in big, loopy letters: _THE STONE OF RIALLE_.

"Oh my God… James…"

"I know! I found it while researching hobgoblins' weapons of the 17th century for Professor Binns." He said proudly. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Very cool." Lily agreed. "What did it say?"

"Nothing that we didn't already know. Well, except…"

"Except _what_, James?" Lily urged.

"Well," He began, lowering his voice. "It _is_ here at Hogwarts. See, Nick Flamel- the guy who--"

"I know-- the guy who made it… go on…"

"Well, Nick and Dumbledore are good friends." James continued. "So Flamel gave the stone to Dumbledore to watch over, at least until he's ready to expose it to the world… But it's _here_, Lily. In this castle!"

"How can you be so sure?" Lily asked. "I mean, what if Dumbledore moved it?"

"I didn't think of that…" James admitted. "I guess he could have…"

"I mean, this book seems really old. Who knows how old this information is…" Lily said. She watched James's face change from excited to disappointed.

"Well…" He said, his smile returning, as the gears in his head started to churn. "There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked. "It won't get us into trouble will it?"

"No! Of course not." James said. "Who is the one other person that knows about the Stone?" He asked her.

"I'm not going to Dumbledore about this…"

"Not _Dumbledore_… Moody!" James said triumphantly.

"Mad Eye Moody? Are you kidding?" Lily replied.

"No." James said, sharply. "Why? Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"It's not that… it's just… he's so _creepy._" Lily confessed. "With his eye, all-- twitching around… and it's just gross."

"He scares you." James laughed.

"_No_… he just…" Lily began. "Okay, so he scares me." She admitted. "But honestly, doesn't that huge _gash_ on his face kind of give you Goosebumps?"

James shook his head. "He's just an ordinary human."

"Yeah, with an electric blue eye and a cut on his face." Lily added.

"Okay, so he's kind of freaky looking, but he could help us figure out where the crystal is." James replied, convincingly.

"Why do we need to know where it is, James? It's none of our business." She reminded him.

"I don't know about you, but I like to know what's going on in this school-- especially as Head Boy." He replied. It was an argument Lily couldn't top.

"Damn you, Potter." Lily muttered in defeat. We'll talk to him after class tomorrow."

So on Thursday morning, Lily headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the Slytherins. She reluctantly took her seat, and waited patiently for the bell to ring. Lily watched as the other students entered the classroom. Siverus glanced at her quickly, but turned away, blushing, when their eyes met.

James caught Lily's eye as she was pulling her books out of her bag. He winked at her, and she wrinkled her nose. She was not looking forward to talking to Moody after class.

As the bell sounded, Lily turned to face the head of the class. Moody came through his office door, his black cloak askew. His mangled hair was tied back, as always. But Lily couldn't help but notice that he had a fresh cut dented into his face.

She watched him descend the two flights of stairs. He crossed to the desk, and smiled. The effect was not pretty.

He pulled out his role sheet that was attached to a clipboard. The class didn't say a word, and Moody glanced over the page. When he was finished, he slammed the clipboard back onto his desk, making everyone jump slightly. He watched them silently, as though sizing them all up.

"CONSANT VIGILANCE!" He barked, causing everyone to jump again. Lily exchanged a nervous glance with Belle. "That's what you all need…" Moody continued. "Constant vigilance… to be ready… aware at all times… but most of all, you need to know what you'll be up against.

 "I'm sure you've all heard what's been going on in and outside of Hogwarts recently…" Moody said. A few students nodded. "Death Eaters." He replied, pausing for effect. Lily bit her lip.

"I know you know what they are." He said gruffly. "But how do you know _who _they are? How can you be sure? How are you supposed to tell them apart from any other person in a cloak?" He asked. Everyone seemed clueless.

"Firstly, when doing their dirty work, they'll always be wearing a black hooded cloak, and a mask. That right there is a sure sign of trouble…" Moody said, eyeing his class. "Black cloaks, hoods, and masks. Got it?"

The class watched him intently, eager to learn more.

"And the Dark Mark…" Moody continued. "I'm sure that you all have seen them up in the sky recently." He said softly. "But the sky isn't the only place you'll find them… try a Death Eater's arm. Right here…" He replied, pointing to his forearm. "You'll find the Dark Mark whenever _You-Know-Who_ is calling for them."

Peter raised a quivering hand up into the air. Moody nodded to him.

"Sir, how do they get the Dark Mark into their arm?" Peter asked softly.

"Well, they burn it in, Petigrew. It's magically branded into their skin." Moody said. The class grimaced, and Lily looked away.

Her eyes fell on Lucius Malfoy. She noticed that he was clutching his left arm tensely, staring straight ahead. He felt her gaze, and turned to glare at her. She looked forward again.

"Now, mind you, it's only visible when the _Dark Lord_ needs them… otherwise, it's invisible." Moody said. "And Death Eaters are heartless." He added. "Don't ever show them mercy, because they won't show mercy to you. They aren't afraid to kill you, and they're not afraid of Azkaban Prison." Moody said grimly. "Don't get in their way, because they won't think twice about producing an Unforgivable Curse on you."

"Are you serious?" Madison replied, by instinct.

"No." Sirius interjected. "_I_ am!"

Some of the class chuckled at his pathetic attempt to lighten the mood. _Serious… Sirius…_ Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled half way.

"Very funny, Black." Moody said, though he seemed annoyed. "But Death Eaters won't find your tactics amusing in the slightest." Sirius coiled back into his chair. "In fact, they'll think you're trying to be smart with them, and most likely kill you for it." Moody added. Both of his eyes were focused in on Sirius. It was worse than a detention… "I see great potential in you, Sirius." Moody replied, genuinely. "If only you'd let it show through, I think you could succeed in this subject."

Sirius looked around the room uncomfortably-- anything to avoid Moody's stare. But Professor Moody would not be ignored.

"I'm being honest, here, Mr. Black." He pressed. "I could see you as being one of the greatest Aurors of your time, if you'd let your natural instinct lead the way…"

"Sir, what's an Auror?" Belle asked, not bothering to raise her hand. Sirius looked at her appreciatively.

"An Auror is someone who hunts Death Eaters. They are basically just like Muggle police men, only Aurors deal with magic, and every Unforgivable Curse you could think of." Moody said quickly. A Slytherin girl shifted her weight uncomfortably, and her chair creaked. "And I think Sirius would make a good one, if he could straighten up."

Sirius looked Moody right in both eyes. Lily noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed with humiliation. "I want to be a Quidditch player." He said defiantly.

"Do you?" Moody said, almost laughing. "Mighty fine job, playing sports, but I think that you should play to your strengths."

"He _is_ good at Quidditch." James said. But Lily shot him a look. If they wanted Moody to answer their questions, they would have to be polite.

"I'm sure he is." Moody chuckled. "But back to Aurors… their main purpose is to capture Death Eaters and put them in Azkaban. It's a very new career, and is good for anyone brave, and strong of heart… and stomach…"

After class, Moody headed up to his office. James looked at Lily and they waited in their seats until the rest of the class had filed out. Since classes were finished for the day, they wouldn't be rushed.

"You set?" James asked, nodding towards the staircase.

"Are we seriously going to go through with this?" Lily asked, scrunching up her nose. James nodded, as though it were the obvious thing to do.

"Oh, dang it…"

Lily turned to see Siverus on the floor, trying to gather up papers that had fallen off his desk. He quickly glanced up at James.

"Need help?" Lily asked politely.

"No… no, I'm fine… really…" Snape said, slamming one of his books on his desk. Lily looked at James.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go…" James urged.

"Okay, okay." Lily replied, pulling her book bag over her shoulder. "See you around, Siverus."

"Yeah…" Snape said, grabbing a bright green quill.

Lily moved up the stairs, one by one. Honestly, she didn't know what they were doing. Moody wouldn't talk to them… why would he waste his time?

But, too soon, they were at the door to his office. James knocked gently, and they could hear Moody's voice from behind the door.

"Come on in, Potter."

Lily glanced behind her at Snape before entering the room after James.

The room was circular, and the stone walls were dotted with age. Hanging on the walls were a few random pictures… and one, tall, mirror that reflected foggy images. There was a long trunk placed under the window that had at least seven locks. And there was Moody, seated at a desk.

"How can I help the two of you?" Moody asked, not looking up- well, his brown eye didn't look up, anyway. The steady ticking of a clock was the only sound, as James tried to think of something brilliant to say.

"Don't tell me…" Moody chuckled. "Sirius sent you to prank me for embarrassing him in class, did he?" Finally, he took his eye off his work and looked up at them.

"No, sir." Lily said. "We just had some… questions for you." She replied, nudging James forward.

"Well… uh…" James began unsteadily. "We, er…"

"Brilliant, James…" Lily muttered under her breath.

James shot her a look, but seemed to have regained his confidence. "As Head Boy and Girl, we feel the need to understand what's going on at Hogwarts… so we can prepare ourselves." He said. Moody nodded. "And, we… found out that there is a stone at Hogwarts… the Stone of Rialle… do you know anything about it?" He asked.

Moody's face went from bemused, to serious. "Close that door." He demanded. Lily did so, and Professor Moody offered them seats before his desk.

"I do know about the Stone. But, for your safety, I think the little you know, the better." Moody replied.

"But Professor…" Lily argued. "We need to know what we're up against-- you said it yourself!"

"Yes, but not in this case…" Moody replied.

"This case?" James repeated irritably. "I'd like to know what's going on at this school… for my sake, and the students'."

"I'm sure you would, Mr. Potter." Moody snapped.

"Moody, we're two of the most reliable students in this school." Lily said. "Do you honestly think that we can't be trusted?"

"It's not that I don't trust you…" Moody said. "I just think it would be best if you didn't know about it. You may leave now…" He said, turning back to his work.

But James wouldn't be pushed out the door. "Know about _what?"_

"That Voldemort is after it!" Moody exclaimed, exasperatedly.

The only sound was the rhythmic ticking of the clock again.

"Why?" Lily asked.

Moody sighed. "I'm sure you both know how powerful that stone is. You wouldn't be here if you didn't think it was important. But the truth is, Voldemort wants that stone."

"Why?"

"_Because _it's so powerful." Moody replied. "That stone is enough to keep you living forever. It would make you immortal… it would make you untouchable. Voldemort wants to be that unstoppable."

"And the Stone of Rialle would do that for him… wouldn't it?" Lily clarified.

"Yes. And more." Moody said gravely. "Nick Flamel told Dumbledore to hide it a few years back."

"We knew that." Lily said softly.

"Did you?" Moody grinned. "But anyway, it's still here. Waiting… and growing more and more strong."

"You mean it can get stronger?"

"Oh yes." Moody said. "And it is. That's one of the reasons Voldemort waited… he wanted it to be as strong as it could be before he needed to use it."

"Where is it?" James asked. Moody paused. His bizarre blue eye scanned around the room, as though someone would hear them. It stopped just behind Lily… at the door.

"I can't tell you. Especially not here." Moody said.

"Why? We're alone…" James pressed.

"The walls have ears." Was all Moody said. Lily and James exchanged a look. "Listen," Moody began. "It's here. That's all I'll say."

_"Where?"_ Lily asked. "In this room? In the Forest? In the dungeons?"

"No. Somewhere safer than the dungeons." Moody said. "And I don't want either of you to go looking for it… ever."

"Why would we?" James scoffed.

"Ever." Moody repeated. "Go now. I have to grade these papers by tomorrow."

Lily nodded, and she and James headed for the door. When they opened it, they saw something familiar on the floor. A bright green feather quill was sitting just near the doorway.

"This is Siverus's." Lily said, bending down to get the feather. "Why would it be up here? He was just picking it up a few minutes ago…"

"That would mean, he was…" James turned to face Moody, who was bent over his papers again. "You knew he was listening in on us, didn't you, Professor?"

"You thought this eye was just for decoration, did you?" Moody chuckled.

"But… how…?"

"I'm an Auror, James." Moody said. There was silence as the words sank in.

"That would mean that you're here for a reason…" Lily said. "You're here to protect the stone, aren't you?"

"Maybe. And maybe something else too… or someone…" Moody said, glancing at James.

"Me." James said flatly. "You're here to protect me and the stone from Voldemort." He gulped, his anger rising. "Well, Moody, listen up: I don't _need_ you. I can protect myself. In case you hadn't already noticed, I've been doing a fine job up until now."

"James…" Lily scolded.

"I know that, Potter." Moody said. "That's why I've left you to do whatever you wanted. McGonagall would have me swooping behind you everywhere, if she had her way. But that's not my style." He chuckled again.

"Come on, Lily. Let's get out of here." James said, turning quickly and dashing down the stairs.

"James…" Lily called after him. "Don't be stupid…" But she followed James out the door, and down the stairs. Moody didn't follow them.


	21. Letters Galore

**Chapter 21**

**Letters Galore**

"James… what is your problem?!" Lily shouted after him. James was hurrying down the hall, and Lily had to jog to keep up with him.

"What? Do they think I'm stupid? Did they think I couldn't handle it? What am I-- a baby?" He asked nobody in particular.

"Well, you sure are acting like one." Lily said angrily. "Moody just told you that he _did_ think you could handle it… and that's why he hasn't interfered with any of your stupid schemes."

"I bet he's been spying on us." James resolved. "He probably sneaks into my dormitory every night to check under the bed, to make sure no monsters are around…"

"Stop it, James." Lily commanded. "You're being thick. Moody trusts you."

"Apparently _Dumbledore_ doesn't."

"You don't know that." Lily said. "Maybe your parents wanted someone to watch over you…" She suggested.

"Or maybe not."

"I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you." Lily sighed. "It's totally pointless. You're so thickheaded, you won't listen to me, anyway."

"Oh please! _I'm_ thickheaded? Sure…" James said, rolling his eyes.

"You go on thinking that, James." Lily nodded sarcastically. "But I'm not taking anymore of this. This was your idea in the first place! I'm off."

James didn't say anything as she turned and headed down the empty corridor to the owlery. Why she was going there, she wasn't sure--she didn't even have an owl-- but the atmosphere was comforting.

She opened the creaking door, and allowed the chilly spring air to wash over her. The wind seemed to recognize that summer was slowly on the way, but liked winter's chill, so it held fast to it. Lily didn't mind much.

She passed sleeping owls of all colors, and sizes. Her feet crunched on the straw that was strewn on the floor as she made her way over to one of the large windows. Sighing, she leaned against the frame.

Lily stared at the owls, all of who were sleeping peacefully. Her eyes were drawn to a small, circular keyhole in the wall. She had never noticed it before, but knew that it must be a cupboard with owl food in it. She turned to look out the window.

The sun was just beginning to set over the mountains in the distance, and the sky was gently starting to fade into pastel pinks. The yellow clouds were soothing, and the sweet hooting of the awakening owls told Lily that she shouldn't stay long.

Suddenly, an owl appeared in the heavens. It swooped through Lily's window, and landed sloppily on a perch.

"Hello." Lily said softly to it. The creature perked up at the sight of her, and hooted with relief. Surprisingly, it popped out its bony leg, revealing a letter. She noticed that her name was written on it in Amos's hand.

Lily untied the letter, and the owl hooted thankfully. Lily seated herself on the straw covered floor, and leaned against the wall.

Lily,

How can you say something like that? How can you doubt that I'm not thinking things through? Do you think that I am merely confessing these feelings to you for my own enjoyment? I find myself crumpling your letter and flinging it to the floor.

But in vein. For here I am, picking it up and smoothing it out, only to read for the hundredth time.

The reason for my feelings is simple- you're perfect. I love your smile… I love the way your hair softly curls around your face… I love everything about you. And as for not knowing you, you've never given me a chance. But I'd like to… so much. You need to trust me.

And what I tell you in my letters _is_ me. That's who I am. Just tell me what else you want to know about me and I'll tell you… I'll spill about everything…

And I was being serious. I want you to marry me. 17 isn't so young these days. And 3 years isn't much of a difference… especially since you'll be 18 in a few months. I know it's sudden, but I'm willing to give you eternity to think about it.

We could wait until you graduate from Hogwarts… go on that trip around the world that you've always wanted… and then come home and get married. To start our lives together.

You may think I'm just being stupid, but I'm being so serious. I love you, Lily. You're the perfect girl for me… I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and I can only pray that you feel the same. And speaking of that trip around the world- I've been saving up for it since I got settled here in London.

But I'll bet every penny of it that I have that your James couldn't ever do something like that for you. I have the perfect life for you here. Everything you'd ever need. James couldn't give you that. You'd have no danger to follow here. James doesn't have a job. James doesn't have a house…James doesn't love you the way I do.

Forever yours,

Amos Diggory

Lily sighed in aggravation. James? What did he have to do with anything? Why did Amos keep bringing him up? Of course James didn't have a house or a job… _He was too young!_ Amos just couldn't get that through his thick skull.

At this point it was too dark to stay in the owlery. Lily got up and dusted herself off, both confused and angry. She needed advice.

Hurrying down the corridors, she ripped the bottom part of the letter off- the part about James. That didn't mean anything anyway. All that proved was that Amos was jealous over nothing. She jammed it irritably into her pocket.

Lily rushed into the Gryffindor common room. Her eyes scanned the room wildly for…

"Remus!" She exclaimed, noticing him leaning on the hind legs of a chair in the corner with a schoolbook in his lap. "I need your advice!"

At the sudden noise, Remus's chair teetered backwards so he toppled painfully to the floor. His face turned red as Lily approached him. He quickly scrambled to put his chair right. He leaped into it, and sat up straight.

"Er- dropped my quill." He muttered, his face still as red as Lily's hair. Lily sat down next to him, holding back laughter. "Um, what did you want? A piece of paper?" He asked, offering her an ink-splattered page.

 "Some advice?" Lily chuckled.

"Oh! Okay." He replied, crumpling the page, and turning to face her. "Shoot." And so, in hushed voices, she described everything about Amos's letters. Everything that is, except for the things about staying away from James.

"Here's his most recent letter…" Lily said, brandishing it before him. "I don't know what to say back…"

Saying nothing, Remus took the letter from Lily's hands, and read through it. Lily saw that his face fell slightly as soon as his eyes reached the third paragraph.

"He sounds serious." Remus said softly. "And you say that there's been more letters than just this?"

"Yes. At least three." Lily sighed. "What am I supposed to do?"

Remus was silent for a moment. "Do you love him?" He asked suddenly.

Lily looked deep into Remus's coal gray eyes. For a short time, Lily was at a loss for words. "I… don't know." She whispered.

"Well, I guess I can't help you until you figure that out." He said, reaching for his book again.

Lily stopped him. "But I know I don't want to marry him."

"And well you shouldn't." Remus said.

"So you agree with me?" Lily said. "We're too young."

"Not that…" Remus shrugged. "Age has nothing to do with love. It's just, you've barely started living. You're not even out of school yet."

"My thoughts exactly!" Lily exclaimed. "I mean, what is he thinking? How stupid…"

"Well, _he's_ an okay age to get married… but _you're_ not." Remus said. "What are you going to write back?"

"I don't know." Lily sighed. "I was hoping that you'd help me."

"I'm not going to tell you what to write!" Remus laughed. "It's none of _my _business."

"I need your help, Remus." Lily pleaded. "I don't know what to say…"

"Just tell him how you feel." He said. "Amos can't ask for more than that."

"I tried that already." Lily groaned. "And he wrote _this _back." She stood up and headed to her dormitory. Sitting on her bed, with her cat, Adrienne in her lap, she pulled out some paper and a quill.

Amos, you're crazy!

I told you, I'm not interested in marriage! I can't marry you… I'm 17! I've barely started living my life, yet! I've never even been kissed… Let alone been in a relationship.

I can't believe you would even suggest such a stupid thing. I don't love you, Amos. I _don't._

I think that you'd be better off investing your time and emotions in someone else.

Besides… you're three years older than me. If we got married, you'd die first… then what? I'd be stuck living alone, and unhappy.

Lily Evans

Short and… ruthless. But nothing else would get him away. Sighing, she put the letter under her pillow, and collapsed onto in, stroking her cat. _I'll deliver it in the morning…_ she thought, her eyes closing for a long awaited sleep.

 Lily awoke the next morning bright and early. The sky was specked with clouds, but all around sunny. It was one of the nicest days this year.

Feeling remarkably lighter, Lily walked down to the owlery while folding up her letter. When she got there, she found James's owl, Ben, trying to sleep.

"Ben…" Lily whispered, poking at it. "I need you to deliver this for me." She knew James wouldn't mind if she borrowed his owl. It was just one letter, anyways.

Ben hooted sleepily, and reluctantly stuck out his foot. Lily smiled graciously, and tied her letter on his leg.

"Thanks." She said, and Ben took off out the window, flying gracefully through the crisp morning air. She hurried to the window to watch him fly over the mountains.

Lily felt like a huge weight had been lifted. She was now "Amos-free". She smiled, and headed down to the Grand Hall for some breakfast before classes.

"Where's Remus?" James asked when he joined her in the Grand Hall.

"Sleeping?" Lily ventured. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since last night."

"Oh." James shrugged. Then, he hit his forehead as the answer came to him. "It's the day before the full moon. He probably left early."

"That makes sense. Oh, and I was in the owlery delivering a letter." Lily said. "I used Ben… I didn't think you'd mind."

"No, that's fine." James nodded.

Silence overtook them for a moment. Lily watched James carefully.

"So…" Lily began. "Did you think more about that whole Moody being a Auror thing?"

"Yeah… a lot more." James confessed. "I decided that it's not that big of a deal. As long as he stays out of my way, it's like he's protecting the whole school… not just me."

"Right." Lily smiled. "You wanna head to Transfiguration?"

"Yeah. Sure." James said. Lily struggled to pick up her book bag, and James watched her. "Need help with that?" He asked politely, lifting his own bag onto his shoulder carelessly.

"No. But thanks." Lily replied. She did want to seem helpless, even if her bag was heavy.

They headed up the corridors, chattering and joking until they reached the second floor. Lily walked inside the classroom and sat down at her normal seat and waited for Belle. The Transfiguration classroom was long, stone hall, basically. There was three stairs that led to a teaching platform just before three rows of two person desks. The windows were covered with purple tapestries that served as curtains.

"All right, Lily?" Belle said, plopping herself down next to Lily.

"Hey Belle." Lily said, just as McGonagall entered the room, scrutinizing her students.

"Good morning." McGonagall replied. She glanced down the rows. "Where's Mr. Lupin?"

"With his great grandpa." Sirius chimed. McGonagall nodded in understanding.

"Very well." She replied, placing her role sheet delicately on the desk. "Now, turning things into animals is no easy task. We've all learned to change things from animals into an object, but never the other way around. So, pull out your notes, and let's get started. This could be on your exams, by the way…"

Lily groaned. Exams. They weren't for another three months, and yet teachers still made studying for them such a big deal. Although, this year Lily would be taking her B.A.T.s, or brutal advancement tests. If they didn't pass, then they wouldn't be a qualified witch or wizard.

After class ended, Lily headed back to the Grand Hall for a small lunch. As she was walking down the hall, Madison hurried to catch up to her.

"Guess what, Lily?!" Madison said excitedly. "Just guess who asked _me _on a date?" She said, biting her lip anxiously.

"Who?" Lily asked with interest.

"Shawn Lestrange!" She squealed with delight. "Can you _believe_ it?"

"What?" Lily exclaimed. "But, he's in Slytherin…"

"No one _cares_ about what houses people are in anymore! And besides, he is _so_ hot." Madison sighed dreamily. "Oh! And guess what else?"

"What now?" Lily asked.

"Come on; guess." Madison pressed.

"Just tell me, before I loose interest." Lily snapped.

"Okay, okay." Madison replied. "Chill out. My mom said that I could dye my hair!" She smiled.

"Dye your hair? Why would you want to do something like that? You're hair is so pretty!" Lily gaped. "What color?"

"Oh come on, Lily. Don't be so medieval. People all over are dying their hair these days. Just look at Kallie from the Kauldron Kids…"

"What color?" Lily repeated.

"Oh, right- raven black." Madison proclaimed, flipping her perfect blonde hair.

"Black? Like Belle's?"

"Yeah. Only I'm going to go a little darker. And I'm going to grow it out. Can you just imagine? It'll be too perfect." Madison said.

"Right. Too perfect." Lily half-heartedly agreed.

"Oh- and before I forget… Malfoy told me to give this to you. Said he saw it in the owlery…"

"Lucius Malfoy? Doing something nice for a change, is he?" Lily chuckled, accepting the letter from Madison.

"Or maybe I'm not the only Gryffindor girl with the hots for Slytherin guys…" Madison taunted.

"Gross. Don't even say things like that." Lily blanched. "I'll catch up to you later, okay?"

"All right… see you, then." She called over her shoulder as she trooped down the stairs. Lily watched her go, then sat down at the foot of a suit of armor.

"Let's see here…" She muttered to herself as she tore open the envelope.

Lily Evans.

I have something I need to request from you. Meet me outside the Forbidden Forest tomorrow night, at midnight. If I were you, I would attend, or the consequences would be most ominous… for Lupin, anyway… If you tell anyone, Lupin will die.

"Oh my God!" Lily murmured. "What a freak…"

"Who's a freak?" Someone asked, making Lily jump slightly.

She looked up and saw it was Joe, the third year _with the annoying accent_. Lily hesitated before answering, her eyes resting on the final three words of the note.

"Lucius Malfoy." She said. "He wants me to… meet him outside the school tomorrow, that's all." _That's what the letter is about; anyway… the Remus thing was just a joke…_

"Oh." Joe said. "Aren' choo gonna go?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Lily asked.

Joe paused before answering. "I don' know. He's a Slytherin, ain't he?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lily laughed.

"From me experience, I've no'iced that Slytherin sucks." Joe chuckled.

"Tell that to Madison…" Lily said under her breath.


	22. The Dark Lord

_Howdy! Errrr… that's all._

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**Chapter 22**

**The Dark Lord**

The next evening, Lily left the common room a little after 11:45. Her hair was had a bit of a spring when she walked, and she felt very pleased with how she looked. She had thrown her black Hogwarts cape over her shoulders for an extra bit of warmth.

She snuck down the marble staircase and hurried across the hall. Lily yanked open the heavy double doors with some effort, and started down the path. Her eyes combed the forest edge for any sign of Lucius or of Snape. She looked up into the sky and saw the full moon peering down comfortingly at her.

A little past Hagrid's cabin and the greenhouses, she saw Lucius. He was cloaked in black, and he had his hood drawn.

"Lucius…" She called in a whisper. "Is this going to take long?"

At first, Lucius didn't answer… but just beckoned her closer. Hesitating, she headed towards him.

"What do you want?" Lily asked.

Again, he didn't say anything, but just grabbed her elbow.

"What the hell, Lucius! Let go of me…" She yelled, pulling sharply away. "_Don't_ touch me."

Without a word, he headed into the forest. Lily watched him for a moment, confused. He didn't turn back.

"Lucius?" Lily called nervously. "You shouldn't go in there… it's dangerous…"

He didn't say anything, but continued through the shadows. Lily reluctantly followed him, pulling out her wand. "_Lumos."_ She muttered, and a small light appeared on the tip of her wand. The beam illuminated the leaf-covered ground, and cast eerie shadows through the trees.

"Wait up, Lucius…" Lily called in frustration. He didn't stop, as though he didn't hear her. But she followed his retreating, cloaked, back down the overgrown path.

The silence was deafening. It was as though all of the nightly sounds had vanished, leaving the forest in a state of shock. There wasn't even a chirrup of a cricket. All that Lily could hear was the gentle crunch of Lucius's feet on the leaves. 

After she had followed him mutely for about five minutes, Lily heard a distinct laugh. It was cold, and high pitched… it made her shiver. She stopped. Her eyes flicked around the vegetation, searching for any sign of humans. Lily suddenly became very aware that her heart was beating faster than usual.

"Lucius…" She whispered shakily.

He abruptly whipped around to look at her, and she immediately felt like an idiot.

"You're not Lucius…" She exclaimed softly. The stranger's features were lit with triumph and joy. His nose was sharp, and severe. His hair was short, and brown, and Lily couldn't recognize him.

"Obviously." The man said with a sneer.

Instinctively, Lily turned to run back to the castle, but the man was a lot faster. He grabbed her elbow again, and twisted it behind her back painfully. Her wand fell uselessly to the ground, and landed with a soft crunch.

"What do you want with me?" She murmured. The man's very tan face was less than an inch from hers. He smiled broadly, and his grasp tightened.

"You'll see…" He whispered right in her ear. She shivered uncontrollably. What was he going to do to her? How could she have been so stupid? Why did she follow him? What was she thinking?

The man pulled on her arm, forcing her to leave her wand behind, and walk forward. With a slight struggle, he pushed her into a large clearing. He flung her to the grass, making her fall to her knees.

"Here she is, master." The man said, with utmost respect and admiration in his voice. Lily made herself look up.

Standing before her was a tall man, clothed in black. Though his skin was as pale as the moon, his health was obviously good. His fingers were long and skinny… ideal for wand work. His head was hooded, but Lily could make out two red eyes that were piercing through her.

"So, Miss Lily Evans." The tall man said. His voice was high, but forceful. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced…" Though the words sounded kind, they stung the air like venom.

"Although, I know all about you." The man continued. "And I know that you can tell me a lot about something that I'm looking for. Do you know what that might be?" He laughed at the frightened and confused look on Lily's face.

"What are you talking about?" She managed to whisper.

"You know where to find the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts!" The man bellowed. "And you will bring it to me!"

"What?" Lily repeated.

"You will listen and obey the Dark Lord!" The man behind Lily shouted.

_Dark Lord…_ The name lingered in the air. The Dark Lord Voldemort… This was Voldemort. This was the man that everyone feared. This was the man who had killed all those people…

"No, I won't." Lily said, gaining strength.

"What did you just say to me?" Voldemort asked, eyeing her angrily. "You _will _bring me the Stone of Rialle, or die."

Lily had a feeling that she would wind up dying tonight, regardless. "No, I won't." She repeated. The man behind her let out a cry of anger, and kicked her in the side. She cried out, but one thing was certain: she would not die doing Voldemort's bidding.

Voldemort licked his lips furiously. He breathed a harsh, ragged breath. He assessed the situation. Apparently, Lily's defiance had taken him off guard.

"How about this, then." Voldemort began. His tone had changed slightly. "Join us. Join our family. Trust me, Lily-- you will be honored above all my other servants if you can do this one little thing for me… do it, and you will be loved and adored…"

Lily stared up at him.

Her mind was empty. She rose cautiously to her feet. No thoughts came, except: Lily Evans, Death Eater. The very idea disgusted her.

"I would rather die." She spat.

"Your wish is granted!" The man behind her yelled, pulling her close to him again, his wand held next to her neck like a dagger.

"Stop, Kloves." Voldemort said. "Let her go. She _will _help us. She _will_ see." Kloves released Lily, chucking her to the ground again, and she breathed heavily. Should she run now?

"Sommers! Walsh!" Voldemort called over his shoulder. "Bring him here!"

Lily suddenly became conscious to the fact that there was a distinct growling that was coming closer through the moonlight. Five cloaked people were struggling with something- they were trying to pull some large cage into the clearing.

It struck Lily that she was now horribly outnumbered.

"Master, here he is, sir." One woman replied breathlessly, as she flung herself to Voldemort's feet. "Is there anything else we can do to serve you, master? We live to do your will, sir… you are our God…"

"That is enough." Voldemort chuckled, as the woman stood and backed away from him, bowing. "Now, Lily. Look here."

Lily followed his gaze to the cage. Inside was a large, angry wolf. His jaws snapped maliciously, and the fur on his back was spiked with rage. Lily noticed that his muzzle different than an ordinary wolf's…

This was a werewolf.

"Recognize him?" Voldemort asked, as his lips curled into an evil grin.

"Remus?!" Lily screamed, collapsing to the grass near the cage. Lily could see through the cage's thick bars that Remus did not like being held captive. His usually calm, gray eyes were piqued and frustrated, and every inch of him was taught with fury. "What have you done to him?!" She shouted, full of fury.

"He's fine. For now." Voldemort laughed.

"How-- how did you…"

"A dear friend told me." He chuckled spitefully.

"You… you are a horrible… evil… how _dare_ you…" Lily trailed. She couldn't even think of an insult worthy enough… "I'm out of here. And Hell will freeze over before I help you and your cult of mindless idiots!" She shouted. With that, she turned and ran out of the clearing as fast as she could go before anyone could stop her.

She stopped suddenly, searching the ground… she had to find her wand…

"STOP HER!" Voldemort shouted from behind. _There…_

She bent down to pick it up, and started running again.

"SET HIM LOOSE!"

There was a rabid howling from the clearing… he was letting Remus free… her heartbeat and her feet kept the same rhythm as she thundered away. Remus wouldn't recognize her—he wasn't himself. He would attack her the second he got the chance…

There was a rustling in the leaves behind her… she ran faster.

Her stomach was cramping… her heart was racing…

She turned to look back, only to see that Remus was gaining on her. His gleaming white teeth were bared, and his mouth was oozing with threatening saliva…

Finally, she was out of the woods. The Hogwarts castle was so much closer… so much closer to safety…

But who was coming down the main steps?

"Lily?!" Someone shouted with a heavy accent. Joe.

"Joe… run!" Lily commanded, approaching the greenhouses.

"What're you talkin' about? Oh God…" He muttered as Remus came into view.

"This way!" Lily beckoned. But it was too late.

Remus had spotted Joe, and decided that he was a much easier target. He leaped through the air, landing heavily on Joe. He fell to the ground. Lily screamed, and shielded her face as sounds of claws and teeth echoed through the night accompanied by Joe's screeches of pain.

"Stop, Remus!" Lily shouted. The moonlight that was glowing on the grass gently faded… the moon was falling behind a cloud. Lily stared up into the sky and saw that a long, large gray cloud was blanketing the sky and shielding the moon from view.

"Oh God…" Remus murmured, as his werewolf form melted away. He got off of Joe, and stared at him.

"Remus!" Lily sighed with relief. She rushed to his side, trembling.

"What… what have I done?" He asked himself. He stared at his hands, which were coated in Joe's blood. Lily looked down at Joe.

His face and arms were covered in his blood… and his eyes were closed, his mouth open.

"Is he breathing?" Lily asked anxiously. She put her ear to his chest… a very faint _thud, thud _could be heard against his ribs.

"What have I done?" Remus repeated in shock. "I killed him… I killed him…"

"No, Remus, no you didn't…" Lily cried, she threw her arms around him and started to sob. But she wasn't sure if it was for Joe, Remus, or herself. "No you didn't…"

"Yes! Yes, I killed him!" Remus yelled in rage. His breath was short and rapid. Silent and fearful tears rolled down his cheeks and into Lily's hair.

"What the hell happened?!"

It was James. He was rushing down the Hogwarts steps, taking in the scene.

"I saw that kid leave and… Remus? What's going on? Why aren't you at the Shrieking Shack?" James asked. But all of those questions melted away when his eyes landed on Joe. "Oh my God…"

"We have to get out of here! There are--"

"Where can we take him?" Remus interrupted faintly. "We can't take him up to the hospital wing…"

"Hagrid's." James said quickly. "Help me, Remus." The two boys heaved Joe to Hagrid's cabin, as Lily pounded on the door, shouting. Loud barks could be heard from inside.

"Yeah?" Hagrid asked groggily, answering the door, and holding back his dog, Fang. "Lily? What're you doin' down here this late at night?"

"It's Joe… in his werewolf form, Remus hurt him… no one else can know… it was a mistake… he didn't mean…"

"Okay… bring 'im inside." Hagrid said, motioning for James and Remus to enter his cabin. They laid Joe out on Hagrid's bed. "I'm gonna go get Madam Pomfry. You kids wait here…" Hagrid muttered, pulling on his moleskin coat, and rushing out the door.

Remus collapsed into a chair weakly. "How could I… I don't even remember…"

"It was Voldemort." Lily said meekly. "He brought me to the forest tonight."

"What?" James said.

"Yes. He did… he wanted me to become a Death Eater… he told me to get him the Stone of Rialle, and then I'd be honored above all his other servants." Lily explained. Remus looked confused.

"Stone of Rialle?" He asked.

"Long story." James said shortly. "What did you say?" He inquired Lily.

"I told him I wouldn't." Lily sighed. "Someone must have told him about you, Remus." Lily said, sitting next to him and taking his hand.

"But how?" Remus asked, looking deep into Lily's eyes and giving her hand a nervous squeeze. "Who would tell?"

"I don't know." Lily said softly. Even though she had been so afraid a few moments ago, now, looking into Remus's coal gray eyes made her feel relaxed again.

"Siverus." James said hotly. Lily snapped her gaze from Remus to James.

"What?"

"Siverus Snape." James repeated sharply. "Sirius told him where to find Remus and everything." He wasn't looking at either Remus or Lily as he spoke, but Hagrid's dog, Fang, who was resting peacefully on the rug. "He saw."

"You don't think he would… Besides, he's not a Death Eater. And he was sworn to secrecy, James." Lily stuttered, pulling her hand away from Remus. Without even saying it, Lily could tell that it was making James uncomfortable.

"Secrecy doesn't mean much these days." James said softly, moving to scratch Fang behind the ears.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked him sharply.

"Nothing." James defended. "Why do you think it's supposed to mean something? I was just saying…"

"Whatever." Lily sighed. Lily stood up and approached the resting Joe. His gory face made her sick, but she was worried. "You don't think he's lost too much blood, do you? Should we try to clean him up, or something?"

"Oh God…" Remus moaned, putting his face in his hands. Lily looked at Remus sympathetically. What would happen to him if Joe died?

"I think we'd better leave him alone." James said. "I'm going outside for a minute. Fresh air…" He said vaguely. He slammed the door behind him.

Lily stared at Joe in silence. Lily noticed that he flinched slightly, but other than that, there was little sign of life.

"What am I going to do, Lily?" Remus sighed again. "I mean, I was always on thin ice at this school, but now…"

Lily walked over to him and kneeled down in front of his chair, and took his hands in hers. She looked up at him trustingly. "Everything will be fine, Remus. Madam Pomfry is on the way…"

"Who will believe me?" Remus said. "The last thing I remember is walking down the tunnel with Pomfry two nights ago…"

"I believe you, Remus. And so does James." Lily nodded. "And Dumbledore will believe you. That's all that matters." She said softly, gazing into his eyes.

Before she knew what was happening, she and Remus were leaning in to kiss each other. It was shocking at first, but he was so sweet… his hand rested on her shoulders and Lily felt immediately whole. She was only half aware that Hagrid's door had creaked open, and quickly squeaked shut again. When Remus pulled away, Lily was smiling foolishly.

"I really like you, Lily." He said. For once in his life, it looked as though Remus didn't know what to say.

"I like you, too." Lily laughed. "So… does this mean we're dating?"

"Sure. I mean, that is… If you want to…" Remus said hopefully.

"Yes." She said, grinning again.

The door opened once more, and Lily quickly stood up. Hagrid and Madam Pomfry hurried in and rushed to Joe's bedside. James lingered outside in the cold.

"You must leave now. You've all been great help." Madam Pomfry said, pushing Lily and Remus out the door and into the night. The door closed with a snap, and the warm glow of the fire vanished.

"I have to go back to the Willow before the moon comes out again…" Remus trailed off. "But, uh…"

"I'll walk with you." Lily smiled. They didn't even notice that James was watching them. Remus, however, grinned and took her hand in his. They walked awkwardly together, side by side, but Lily felt happier than she had in a long time. When the two of them reached the Willow, Remus picked up a long twig and poked a knot on the trunk of the tree.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight, then." He said nervously. Lily nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely." He said. Lily watched him walk through the limply hanging branches of the usually wild tree. When he ducked down the passage, Lily turned and headed back towards the castle.

"Hi." James said. He was sitting on the marble stairs. Was he waiting for her?

"Hey." She smiled.

"So… what happened?" He asked. Lily froze.

"Wh-what?"

"In the forest, I mean!" He added almost too quickly. "With Voldemort… you know…"

"Oh… right." She said softly. She started up the stairs, but James stayed seated. "I'll, uh… tell you later."

"Come on, Lily." James pressed. "I have a right to know… especially if he's after me." He chuckled. James stood up and walked after her.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "Well, I got this letter from whom I thought was Lucius this afternoon."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She laughed again, mimicking James. "And anyway, so I met who I thought was Lucius outside the forest, and he led me inside."

"Lily! You're so brainless!"

"Shut up! I thought it was Lucius!" She chuckled at her own stupidity.

"So _then_ what happened?" James continued as they started to climb the passage that led up to the fourth floor. "Don't forget to jump…" He laughed, as he skipped over the trick step.

"Yeah, really." Lily laughed. "So then, he took me to Voldemort, and he told me to join his side… or else." She added playfully.

"Or else, what?" James asked, playing along.

"Or else… he'd tickle me- I dunno!" She laughed again. _Funny-_ she hadn't thought that she'd laugh at all tonight… "But seriously, he said that he'd kill me."

"Okay, so then what did he want?"

"The Stone. He said that if I could bring it to him, I'd be honored beyond my wildest dreams." Lily said gravely. "And I told him no way, so he had more servants bring out Remus, who was in a cage."

"Then what?"

"Then, he let Remus loose. And since Remus was a werewolf, he tried to attack me. But I ran, and when I reached the castle, Joe was walking out. _Why_ I don't know…" Lily sighed.

"I know." James whispered. Lily stopped in her tracks.

"Why, James? Why _did_ he come outside?" She asked nervously. James stopped too. He looked into her eyes for a moment before answering.

"The whole thing is my fault." James sighed heavily.

"What?"

"Joe came into my room, at like, two in the morning. He kept saying that he thought you were in trouble, or something. He said that you'd gotten a letter from a Slytherin, but it didn't sound safe to him. Said I should go find you." James said gently.

"What did you say?" Lily asked staring at James's face.

"I said that I was sure that you were fine. And anyway, I didn't think that you'd be too pleased if I burst in on you, and shoved my nose in your private life…" He replied, eyeing her mockingly.

"So what did Joe do?" Lily asked. "I mean, you told us that you saw him leave the room, and decided to follow…"

"Well I lied." James laughed. "Almost, anyway. He did just leave after that. I guess he thought he would be the hero, and come save you. You've got quite a few unwanted admirers, don't you?"

"Shut up." Lily muttered, blushing. She started to walk again, and James followed.

"So he left. As I was trying to fall back asleep, I started getting all paranoid, thinking that maybe he was right, and you _were_ in trouble. So I got dressed, and came after you… and Joe."

"How sweet." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hey-- I was _genuinely_ worried." He said sarcastically, and putting his hand over his heart.

"Liar." Lily laughed. "And then what?"

"So, I came out of the castle, and saw Joe on the ground, and you hugging Remus. And I knew that Joe had been right. I can't help thinking that that could have been me laying in Hagrid's cabin, half dead, right now if I had gone right away…"

"God, James… don't say things like that…"

"It's true!" He exclaimed.

"I know!" She cried. "Just think how scary that would be. Plum pudding." Lily said to the Fat Lady in the portrait.

"Whatever you say, dear…" The lady snored. But she swung open to reveal the common room, as always.

"You mean to say that you would actually care?" James started.

"Of course I would _care_. God, James. What, do you think I'm some heartless freak?!" Lily said, astounded. Lily would _more _than care if James died…

"The freak part's about right…" He laughed. "No, but seriously. I'm ever so flattered, Lily." James said.

"And you say _I'm_ the freak?" Lily chuckled as she headed up the stairs. But something made her pause. She turned to face James. "And thanks-- for coming after me, I mean. Even if you didn't think I was in trouble."

"Hey, what are friends for?" He shrugged. "I know you'd do the same for me… right?" He teased.

"Well, duh." She laughed.

That night, she fell asleep, but the same dream kept bothering her…

_She was running… running as fast as she could. She could hear a high-pitched cackle, and she knew it was coming closer. It would hurt her if she couldn't get away… Suddenly, something flew overhead on a broom… it was James… he was calling to her to hop on, and she'd be safe… _

_But there was Amos… he was just floating in the air, surrounded by money and suitcases. "Come on, Lily… I'll take you there…" _Take me where?_ And Remus was there too… running beside her… "It's fine Lily… we'll outrun him, together…" _I can't run anymore…__

_"CHOOSE!" They all shouted. "We'll help you… hurry, or He'll get all of us…"_


	23. Joe's Condition

_Ha! You all make me laugh! As if I would tell you ANYTHING about what's going to happen between Lily and James! Puleez! Then what would be the point in coming back to read my fic, huh? _

_I think that I should address this, just because some of you seem a little confused. This story and its prequel are both written by me, Kirsten. Kylah's story is Raven (and you should totally read and review it!). The only story that we've written together (so far! Heheh!) is Aladdin ( looks at you hypnotically which you should also read and review…). Just thought that I would clarify/recap. So all of these little author notices are from Kirsten, AnimeAngel90! Anywho! On with the story! (And you're too right, HappySnakes Rule, I DO update often… almost TOO often…)_

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**Chapter 23**

**Joe's Condition**

"Lily… wake up… Lily?" Belle was poking at Lily's back trying to get her to open her eyes. Lily groaned and rolled over to face Belle.

"What?" She muttered dryly.

"Classes, sleepy-head. Madison already left." Belle chuckled. She whipped open Lily's bed hangings so the rare sun could blast through.

Lily shielded her eyes. "I'm too tired…" She moaned helplessly. "I didn't get to bed last night until three…"

"I noticed that." Belle said. "Where were you anyway?"

"Er… with Remus."

"I thought he was away with his great granddad?"

"He came back late last night, and we talked for awhile." Lily said. She then smiled, thinking back to what occurred in Hagrid's cabin. "We're dating now, you know."

"What? Are you serious?" Belle squealed, sitting on Lily's bed.

"Yup." Lily laughed, pushing back her covers and searching in her dresser for a clean blouse. She pulled on her clothes and snatched her book bag. "See you in class."

"Right." Belle laughed again. "See you." Lily bounded down the stairs and collided into James and Sirius, causing her bag to split open and all of her books slid onto the floor.

"Oh, hey guys…" Lily said. "Sorry about that…"

"God, Lil… what's the rush? You can't actually be looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts." Sirius said, as he and James bent over to help her collect her things.

"I can if Moody teaches it." She said cheerfully. "Thanks. I'll catch up with you all later…" She replied, accepting her book, and rushing out the door.

Lily walked swiftly down to the Grand Hall, and smiled at the sight of Remus eating fried eggs.

"Hello there." He said, scooting over to give her a place to sit.

"Thanks. So… how's it going?" Lily asked.

"Well, considering the fact that I almost killed someone last night--okay." He replied. "And yourself?"

"I'm okay, too." Lily said. "Have you heard anything about Joe yet?"

"I went and checked on him this morning." Remus replied, coughing slightly. Lily looked at him nervously.

"And? What did Madam Pomfry say?" She asked. She braced herself for the worst.

"Well, she said that she'd been, er, working on him all night." Remus said softly. "And she hasn't seen much improvement. He's still out cold. She told me that even if he does survive, he might turn into a werewolf come next full moon."

"A werewolf? That's what she said?" Lily breathed. "Are they going to move him to the hospital wing? What's going to happen now? What about--"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Remus chuckled. "No, they're not going to move him to the hospital wing. There would be too many unanswerable questions if they did. Besides," He said, taking another bite of his eggs. "He'll be safe in Hagrid's cabin. Madam Pomfry can go back to the hospital wing, and Hagrid can watch over him."

"Do you think you bit him?" Lily asked softly.

"I told you-- I don't know. I don't remember anything. All I know is what you've told me." He sighed heavily. "I just hope he'll be okay."

"I'm sure he will Remus." Lily said, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "We can go visit him at lunch."

"Does Sirius know yet? What about Wormtail?" He asked her.

"I'm sure Sirius knows… but I dunno about Peter." Lily replied. "But I do know that we have to get to class…" She said.

"Yeah, all right." Remus sighed again.

Later, at lunchtime, Lily and Remus walked out of the castle. The sun beat down on them through the welcome clear sky. Hand in hand, they walked past the greenhouses, and over to Hagrid's stone cabin.

"Hagrid! It's me!" Remus called, pounding on the door. Lily held her breath slightly as the door creaked open. "How is he?" He asked Hagrid.

"Not much difference." He said gruffly. "Yeh can have a look at 'im though."

Lily moved to the bed where Joe lay. He was no longer caked in his blood, but was pretty much clean. He had many distinct cuts covering his face, and his forearms were gashed and swollen. His eyes were still closed, and his hair was messy and limp.

Although, he seemed--there was no other word for it-- peaceful. It was as though there was nothing left to worry him, anymore. Lily felt like, at this moment, he wouldn't care if he were a werewolf… he wouldn't care if the rest of his life were a living Hell, trying to escape one full moon at a time…

 _But maybe that's because he's already dead._

Lily breathed shortly and touched her head as she pushed that thought aside. She jerked herself out of her thoughts and realized that Remus was standing right next to her with his fingers intertwined with hers.

"We should go." Lily whispered.

"Okay." Remus nodded. "I agree."

They thanked Hagrid and told him to let them know if Joe stirred. He promised he would, and only then did they leave the cabin. On their way back up to the castle, they saw James and Sirius hopping down the castle steps.

"Hello, lovebirds." Sirius joked. "How's it goin'?"

"All right." Lily shrugged, wincing slightly at the nickname. "Where are you off to?"

"Me and Jimbo, here, are off to visit little Joey." Sirius explained.

"Don't call me Jimbo…" James sighed. "As if Jamie-boy wasn't bad enough…"

"I like Jimbo." Remus teased to Sirius in an undertone.

"I _told_ you, James! Jimbo is waaay cooler!" Sirius begged.

"No way, it's embarrassing!" He groaned. "Anyway, _Reme_," James said, his eyes filled with laughter. "We'll see you guys later." He said, leading Sirius down the lawn.

"Reme… I _like_ it!" Lily could hear Sirius shouting as they headed to Hagrid's cabin. Remus rolled his eyes playfully, and he and Lily continued up to the castle.

"Nutters… the whole lot of them." Remus murmured.

Lily smiled. "But they're just so _funny._" She said sarcastically.

"Right. Funny." Remus nodded, laughing. As they headed down to the dungeons for Potions, they bumped into Peter who did not look happy.

"What's up, Wormtail?" Remus asked worriedly. "Something wrong?"

"No. I'll be fine." Peter said as he glanced sharply at Lily. "I'll tell you later, maybe. When you're without your girlfriend, that is."

Remus stared at him for a moment. "What's your problem?" He asked in surprise.

"My problem is that we can't go anywhere without Lily anymore!" Peter shouted. Lily drew back slightly. "It makes me sick! Look what's happened to us!"

"Maybe I should go…" Lily trailed.

"No, Lil. We've got class." Remus said, putting his hand around her waist affectionately. Peter rolled his eyes irritably. "Come on…"

They tried to get past Peter, but he stopped them. His eyes were suddenly wide and he was smiling mischievously. He stared at Lily as though he had seen her for the first time. "Lily!"

"Er- yeah?"

"You haven't seen Madison, by chance, have you?" He asked eagerly, licking his lips. Lily was confused.

"Um, no. Last I saw she was in the Grand Hall." She said uncomfortably.

"And, uh, what about James?"

"Hagrid's." Remus answered.

"Fabulous!" Peter cheered. "Must be off!" He said happily, shoving past Remus and Lily and up the corridor.

"He sure is odd, isn't he?" Lily said, watching him bound up the hallway.


	24. Remus and Jimbo

_Ooooh! This chapter is full of lovin'! Oh shoot—I promised I wouldn't spoil anything. Oh darn. Call the police. _

_Anyway, I bet that you could have guessed that just from the name of the chapter, because, in case you hadn't already figured it out, I'm terrible at chapter names, and I honestly DON'T CARE! HA!_

_And thanks—thanks a heap—AnimeAngel90, for exposing to the world that I have too much free time. Curse you for knowing the truth! Sadly, it IS true. Now that theater's over, and school's winding down and "Smallville" "The OC" and "Survivor" are over for the season, I literally have nothing to do with myself! If any readers have any recipes I should try or crafts I could do, all would be appreciated. That's how pathetic I am—I need to do craft projects._

_"SONS OF THE PHAROAHS!!"_

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**Chapter 24**

**Remus and James**

A few days later, on Thursday, right after Care of Magical Creatures, Lily and Remus headed to Alchemy. She was not looking forward to it, so she made Remus walk as slowly as possible to the classroom.

"I heard that they might cut this class." Remus said.

"Are you serious? When?" Lily asked happily.

"Not this year, but maybe next year, or the year after." He corrected. "We're too far into the year to cut it now."

"I guess so." Lily sighed heavily. They entered the room, and passed the tall pillars that were in the room's entry. They sat at a four-person worktable next to each other. Lily leaned against the back of her chair, and gazed absentmindedly around the room.

The ceiling was incredibly high, and the room was made entirely of stone. It was cold and drafty in here, so a large fire was lit in a fireplace in the back of the room. Sunlight slid through the tall windows that scraped the floor. The four pillars at the classroom's doorway reached up to the roof.

"Good morning!" Professor Gosnel replied as the bell sounded. James and Sirius slid into the room, and toppled into the seats next to Lily. "Just in time, eh, Potter?" Gosnel laughed. "That means a tardy, you know."

"Whatever it takes, sir." Sirius said, saluting him. The teacher laughed again.

"Right-o." Gosnel said. "Pull out your books, notes, and quills, and fasten your seatbelts." He said, snorting at his own lame joke. He pushed his blonde hair out of his blue eyes. "Page 778."

Lily bent over her bag, and pulled out her Alchemy book and flipped it to the right pages. She dipped her quill in ink and looked at the professor expectantly.

"Now then, onto today's lecture! Aren't you all excited!" Gosnel laughed boldly. Nobody answered. "Anyway," He said, clearing his throat to cover up his guffawing. "Crystals. Copy this down: Nearly all crystals are fashioned from molten lava, which is situated deep underneath the earth's outer layer. The deeper they are, the hotter it is, and the more time they have to lower their temperature. Then, the crystal itself is larger, since they have more time to cool. But if the crystal is positioned near the crust, then the temperature is cooler, and they desiccate faster, and the crystal will be diminutive. And, boys, as any lass can tell ya, the magnitude of crystals matter."

And as Gosnel paused for a breath, James leaned over and muttered, "What a crack-head!" into Lily's ear. She couldn't help herself- she snorted with laughter.

"Excuse me, do I amuse you? Do you find what I say funny?" Gosnel asked staring at her.

Lily stopped laughing and shook her head. "Please, continue, Professor."

"Say you just got one of his jokes!" James hissed.

Fighting back laughter, Lily blurted, "I just understood that crystal joke, and frankly, sir, I found it hilarious!"

Gosnel suddenly looked very pleased with himself. "Really? You… you thought it was funny? I've always wanted to be a stand up comedian…"

"I think you'd succeed masterfully in the field, sir." Lily lied. James had to put his hand over his mouth to hold back the laughter.

"Why, what a nice girl you are, Lily!" Gosnel appraised. "10 points to Gryffindor."

"Score!" James whispered, putting his hand out behind the desk for a low five.

"And that's how it's done." Lily said softly, slapping the palm of his hand.

"Hell yeah." James agreed.

"Anywho! Back to business! Now, how are crystals' tints formed you ask?" Gosnel continued.

Lily turned back to her notes, and scratched some down. As she looked back up at the professor, her eyes landed on Madison and Peter. Their heads were bent close together. Lily tried to read their lips, but it was useless- they were talking too fast. A few times Madison turned back just enough to look at James.

Later that evening, Lily was sprawled out on the couch with a book. However, her eyes were not moving along the page. She was watching the activity of the quiet common room.

Some fourth years were entertaining themselves playing gobstones. Belle was pouring over her Divination book with difficulty near the fireplace. Madison and Sirius were nowhere to be seen…

Lily's eyes paused lovingly on Remus. His sandy blonde hair was hanging in his eyes as he wrote out something on his homework. His firm, yet gentle hands were holding his quill tightly as he dipped it into the inkbottle. But there was something different about him-- something Lily couldn't put her finger on.

She spotted James. He, too, was in a corner with Peter. They were talking quietly, and Peter looked pleased. James, however, appeared confused-- maybe even shocked.

She shook herself mentally, and returned to her book.

A little while later, as the common room slowly started to empty, Belle slammed her book closed in frustration, called goodnight to her friends, and headed up to bed.

"Hey, Lily." Remus said, closing his books as well. "You up for a walk?"

"It depends where." Lily laughed. But she placed her book on the coffee table.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "I just don't feel like going to bed yet."

"Me either." Lily replied. "Let's go. We'll see you boys later." Lily said to James and Peter.

"Be back before eleven!" James scolded. "And Remus, if she's not back safe and sound, it'll be your head." He joked.

"Yes, sir; I'll do my best." Remus said, bowing to James. "Come on." He said to Lily, as he held the portrait open for her.

"Thank you." She replied.

They walked down the halls in stillness at first. The castle was as silent as a tomb, and just as dark.

"We have to make sure not to run into Filch." Remus whispered.

"And how're we supposed to do that?" Lily asked.

He whipped out the Marauder's Map. "And you thought I was unprepared…" He joked. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good."_ And the familiar lines etched themselves onto the paper.

"Not bad." Lily smiled. "So, where to?"

"The owlery? The Astronomy tower? A secret passage?" He offered. "I can take you anyplace."

"Let's go to the tower." Lily said. "I feel like looking at the stars."

So they were off. Lily and Remus headed up a long flight of steps, and they were at the South Tower.

"It's beautiful when we're not in class…" Lily whispered, as she approached one of the large windows. The warm spring air washed over her, and filled her with security. Remus put his arms around her, and she smiled. The moon wasn't quite full, but large enough to illuminate the grounds below. The lake glittered as though made of a thousand and one jewels, and the treetops were specked with the silver light of the moon.

"You know, Lily." Remus began softly. "I've been thinking."

"That's a dangerous pastime." Lily laughed. "What about?"

"About us, actually." He said firmly.

"What about us?" Lily asked. Even though she tried to hide it, there was an obvious quiver of panic in her voice. She pulled herself out of his hug to face him.

"I… I think we should break up." Remus said quickly.

It hit her like a ton of bricks-- right in the stomach. She couldn't answer at first. It was like millions of questions were bubbling up. Her breath was suddenly short, and she found it hard to focus.

"Wh-what?" Lily stuttered. "I thought…"

"Lily, I love you so much." He said. "That's why I have to do this."

"I don't understand." She whispered.

"No." Remus shook his head. "I see the way you look at each other, and I can't…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You and James, Lily!" Remus said.

"Oh please." Lily groaned. "If that's what this is about… We're just--"

"--Just meant for each other." Remus interrupted. "Admit it, Lily: You love each other. I can see it in your faces all the time."

"Are you kidding? I don't love him." Lily argued. But somehow, it the very pit of her stomach, she felt like something was wriggling to get out. "I love _you."_ She said softly.

"And I love you, but…"

"But then we should be together." She said blankly.

"No, you don't understand." Remus shrugged. He took a few steps away. "I just couldn't. Whenever I touch you, or even look at you… it feels wrong."

"No it doesn't…" Lily protested, as tears started to well up in her eyes. "It's fine, I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Lily, stop it." Remus said forcefully, grabbing her wrists. "You have to listen to me."

"Why? Why can't we just work this out?" Lily begged. "We've been dating for less than a week…"

"It's not that. But I wouldn't be a good friend to either of you if I let this continue." Remus sighed heavily. "God, I didn't think you'd take it like this…"

Lily pulled her hands out of his. "I don't know what you're talking about." Suddenly, painfully strange thoughts started to pelt through her brain-- thoughts about James. Somehow, she felt _relieved_. __

"Lily please try to understand." He whispered. "You love _him_. I can see it in your face right now."

"Stop." Lily tried to say. Strangely, she found her throat was dry. "That's not true…"

But Remus knew he had done it, and Lily knew it too. They were done. Finished. Over. And supposedly, she and James were meant for each other.

"Come here…" Remus said softly, as he pulled her into a big bear hug. "I'll always love you, Lily. And I do plan to still be the best friend that you'll ever have."

At first, she found it hard to answer, but then she replied, "Okay, Remus. You always did know best."

He laughed at that.

"And maybe," Lily continued. "Maybe you're right. About James, I mean."

Suddenly, there was a heavy fake sobbing from the staircase. Lily and Remus turned and saw Sirius sitting on the steps watching them.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Lily asked, her face breaking into a smile.

"Long enough." He chuckled. "But seriously, Lily! Remus is right. You really need to go find Jimbo."

"Where is he?" Lily asked with embarrassment.

"I think he's in the common room, still." Remus said supportively.

"Go get 'im, girlfriend!" Sirius said, breaking into false tears again.

"So, uh, I'll catch up with you later?" She asked them hesitantly. For some reason, she was nervous, and didn't want to leave the tower.

"You bet." Remus smiled.

"Okay." Lily nodded, and she turned to leave.

Her mind was racing as she walked fast down the corridor. _James… Me? Meant for each other…_ It was like a broken record, replaying over and over in her head. But each time it repeated, she found it more questioning. Could this be true? But then, what did Remus and Sirius know about it? Just because James was her friend, it didn't make him her soul mate, right?

Then again, now without the thought of needing to be true to Remus, all she could think about was James. His cute face… perfect body… There was nothing holding her back now. She could tell him everything…

But all too soon, she was at the portrait hole. She held back for a moment. Was she seriously going to go through with this? _Go through with what?_ She found herself thinking.

"Well?" The Fat Lady in the picture prompted.

"Oh, sorry." Lily apologized. "Dodo Bird."

"That's right, dearie." The lady smiled, as she swung open. Lily took a deep breath and entered the room. The lights were low, and the dying fire was still dancing in the stone fireplace.

"James?"

But as soon as she looked up, she was frozen to the spot, and her jaw practically hit the floor.

There, in plain view, was Madison and James… it couldn't be right… _kissing; _right on the couch. It disgusted her. James's hands were running through Madison's newly black hair, and her eyes were closed.

Lily's stomach flipped over. She quickly turned and fled from the room, slamming the portrait hole closed behind her.

"Be gentle, dear." The Fat Lady called after her.

"Sorry." Lily shouted, but she kept walking. Tears were spilling down her face, but why she didn't know. For some strange reason, she just kept thinking how stupid she was. Even to believe for a few moments that James would pick her over any girl in the school… why would he bother? And yet, she felt like she had just lost something, and that there was a gaping hole in her, where something, or someone should be…

"Lily…" Someone shouted after her. Lily stopped and spun around, her arms hugging herself. It was James. She quickly wiped the teardrops off her face. 

"What?" She snapped.

"Well, uh…"

Lily didn't wait for him to finish. "What the hell is your problem? So you think it's okay just to suck face on the common room couch? You're sick. Really sick."

"First of all, I don't suck face. And you say _I'm_ sick? So, then, it's okay for you to make out with Remus, but _I _can't kiss someone?" James retorted, his face going slightly red.

"That's totally different. Madison is one of my best friends." Lily argued.

James laughed. "So now Remus isn't classified as one of my best friends?"

Lily paused, her eyes squinted in rage. "At least I don't kiss someone in plain view, where anyone can walk in on you."

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, you and Remus were kissing in Hagrid's cabin where any _teacher_ could have burst in on you." James chuckled sardonically. "Lucky I saw you first."

Lily stared. "I was caught up in the moment."

"Well, maybe I was too." James replied. "And besides, it's not like it matters. _We're_ not dating-- you have Remus."

"Well, right." Lily said, biting her lip. She decided not to tell him about their break up. "Well then, I'll let you get back to Madison…" She said, starting to walk away.

"I don't like her, you know. Not like that, anyway." James said. "I mean…"

"You saw an opportunity." Lily interrupted. "So I'll let you get back to it… or her." She snapped.

"You're mad at me." James said, trying not to laugh while walking to catch up with her.

"Wow, you're a genius." Lily replied.

"Why are you mad? Technically, it's not fair for you to be mad at me for doing something that _you've_ done before, too." James argued.

"Whatever, James. Keep telling yourself that." She said.

"What's wrong with you?" James asked angrily.

"What's wrong with _me?_" Lily repeated. She sighed. She wouldn't tell him… not now. Not after… "I missed an opportunity, I guess."

"And what was that?" James asked interestedly. It was obvious that he didn't get what she was hinting.

"Never mind. You wouldn't understand." She said in exasperation. "Madison will be waiting."

"Let her wait." James said. "I'd rather--" He was on the verge of adding something else, but must have decided against it.

"You'd rather what?" Lily asked, not turning to look at him.

"I'd rather take a walk." He said casually. "Want to come?"

"No. That's alright." She replied. "I was just on my way back to the common room." Lily spun around and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Well, maybe I'll come with you…"

"Then maybe _I'll_ take a walk." She said, turning around again.

"Okay, hold up." He grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away from him. He stared at her for a second. God, those blue eyes were intoxicating… Lily snapped herself back into reality.

"Let go of me, James Potter, or I swear…"

But he released her. "Lily, I just want to talk."

"Well, maybe _I_ don't want to talk." She retorted. "You know, I think I just want to go to bed before someone catches us out of our dormitories. Okay?"

"Okay." James replied slowly. "Go."

"See you, then." She said, holding her nose high, and storming down the corridors. Lily could feel James eyes watching her every step, but honestly, she didn't care.

When she entered the common room, Madison wasn't there. Lily didn't even give it a thought, but instead marched right up to the dormitory before Sirius or Remus would get back and she would have to explain every embarrassing detail.

She didn't even bother to change into her nightclothes. She just jumped into her bed, and yanked the bed hangings closed violently.

Lily lay in her bed, fully clothed, with her arms crossed across her chest for a long time. She didn't allow sleep to come, but just let her thoughts overthrow her.

Why had she thought--even for that brief moment-- that James could like her? Who was she trying to fool?

After awhile, Lily heard bed curtains being ripped open, and then saw Madison pull Lily's back.

"I see what's happening." She said sharply.

"And what's that?" Lily asked, turning onto her side so she wouldn't have to look at her supposed-friend.

"You're falling in love." Madison said to Lily's back. "And, wouldn't you know, it's with the guy I've had my eye on for the past _three years_."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about. And you haven't liked him for three years. And I don't love him-- in fact, I don't even _like_ him!" Lily said bitterly.

"You're lying. I can hear it in your voice." Madison said. But she didn't sound the least bit sympathetic.

"How would you know if I was lying?" Lily said. She even heard the bite of impatience in her voice. "We haven't sat down to talk in over a month."

"That's not true." Madison argued. "I told you about my hair…"

"And something else, too. Oh yeah-- your _boyfriend._ That's right." Lily said sarcastically, sitting up.

"Shawn _is not_ my boyfriend."

"Yes he is. You told me so." Lily retorted. "That was one of the few things that we've talked about. Oh, and by the way," She continued bitterly. "Your hair looks _fantastic. _In my opinion, the black really makes you look evil. But that was what you were going for, right? Because you've got the attitude part down perfectly."

Madison fingered her hair nervously. "I think it looks fine." She replied softly. She paused, smiled maliciously, and then added, "_James_ thought I look great, too."

"Well, James can just go screw himself." Lily snapped, flopping back down on the bed. "Or better yet, he can go screw you."

"Take that back, you bitch." Madison glowered.

"I'd rather not. You two looked so cozy on that couch, why should I?" Lily said furiously.

"You know something, Lily? I _never _liked you. You were just holding me back from getting what I really want. I used to think that you were lucky to have so many boys fawning on you. I don't know what Amos sees in you. You're nothing, Evans. You're nothing but a loser. Your parents don't love you, and now I see why."

Lily was shocked for a second. _Your parents don't love you…_ It echoed through Lily's brain. Lily gulped.

"You know," She said desperately searching for something to strike a nerve. "James doesn't actually love you."

"Yes he does." Madison said smugly. "He told me."

"Okay." Lily replied. "If that's what you want to think."

"Fine, then." Madison countered. "You can have it that way. But you'll be sorry when James and I are married with a kid that's just as beautiful as we are."

"We'll see about that." Lily snarled. "I don't even care anymore." So that was that. She had lost two friends in one night.


	25. The Resolution

_Hey everybody! I'm posting for the second time today. Because my parents won't let my friends come over, I'm on the phone with my friend Kira—say hi Kira! "hello." So yeah—and I do too want to hang out with you, but my 'rents won't let meh! _

_Anywho, I'm such a loser with nothing to do. So enjoy my story, why don't you! _

_It rhymes!_

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**Chapter 25**

**The Resolution**

The next morning, Lily awoke early. Massaging her head, she rolled off her four-poster, and looked at her wrinkled clothes with distaste. She changed quickly, and threw her dirty robes carelessly into her hamper for the house elves to wash later.

She hurried down to the common room, but stopped when she heard angry voices drifting up the steps.

"How the heck could you be so God damned stupid, James?!" It was Remus. _He never shouts…_ Lily thought. _It must be serious…_

"I broke up with her for you, and then you go and throw it away like that?" Remus yelled. "What were you thinking?"

"Hold on now! You broke up with her? Why?" James asked in amazement.

There was a pause before Remus answered. "It's obvious to me that you two are meant for each other. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"Well, lucky for you, you don't have to worry about that anymore." James said. Lily could almost see the embarrassment on his face. "That was stupid of you, anyway. Lily's a catch-- you told me so yourself."

Remus sighed. "I'm afraid it's too late, now."

"Tell me about it." James murmured. "I don't think Lily and I are even on speaking terms right now."

At that moment, Lily started marching down the stairs with determination. She didn't say a word to either of them, but walked straight past to the portrait hole. But as the door was closing, she heard a distinct "Told you" from James.

When she reached the Grand Hall, she sat at the table and put her face in her hands. Last night was still surging through her brain. And she was in no mood to forgive or forget.

Suddenly, there was the familiar rush of wings, and faint hoots from owls. A flourish of different colored birds flew into the room, looking for their recipients. A large gray owl flew down to Lily and landed on the table. It stuck out its leg, offering her a tiny letter. Lily smiled at it gently, and removed the small envelope. The owl dipped its beak in her pumpkin juice, and watched her.

After taking a bite of her toast, she opened her letter and recognized Amos's handwriting.

Lily,

If you were to die before I do,

 I'd go to heaven and wait for you.

_I love you._

Amos Diggory

Sighing, Lily pulled a quill out of her bag, and started to write on the back of Amos's letter.

  Dear Amos,

Thanks for your letter. Amos riddles very prettily! Maybe I should do some thinking. But before you get too excited, just know that I'm not accepting your offer… but I will consider it. Maybe. Possibly…

Okay, so I don't know. But before I fill up too much paper with my mindless rambling… ha ha!

Your friend, (Maybe Love?)

Lily Evans

And before she could change her mind and cross out the whole thing, she tied the letter back onto the owl's leg, thanked it, and watched it swoop easily out the window. She found herself wishing she could follow it.

Reluctantly, she got up and headed to Transfiguration. When she arrived at the classroom, she found that most of the students were already seated.

Was it just her, or was everyone watching as she made her way down the aisle. It seemed like time slowed down as she passed James's desk. She avoided his eyes, and sat down three desks behind him.

The bell rang and pounded into Lily's ears. Remus turned to look at her, but she stared determinedly at the ceiling.

"All right class." McGonagall replied. "Today we'll be transfiguring these items back into their original state. This is a very important lesson because you might find it on your exams."

"But professor, you said that turning things to animals would be on the exam! I've been studying for _ages!_" Madison crowed.

"Please. You haven't even looked at your books." Lily muttered under her breath.

"Well, that could be on the B.A.T.s as well, Madison." McGonagall replied. "But, you may want to pay attention, anyway." She replied. "Now, it's a simple incantation to restore an item to its original form…"

Lily listened, and paid attention, and took notes, but her mind was elsewhere. She found her thoughts drifting to James. And the more she tried to push them away, the more they appeared.

Now that she wasn't talking to him, she found that it only made her want to talk to him even more.

After dinner, Lily headed down to Hagrid's cabin by herself. She hoped to check on Joe, and see if he was doing any better.

Lily knocked timidly on the door. She realized with a jolt that she had never been here without James before.

"Lily! What a surprise!" Hagrid said, as he held back Fang.

"Afternoon, Hagrid." Lily said. "I just came to check on Joe… how's he doing?"

"I think he's doin' better." Hagrid replied. "I noticed 'im stirring jus' dis mornin'."

"Really?" Lily said, moving to the bedside. She watched Joe's face. It did look less pale than a few days ago. And his cuts were healing, but it appeared as though he would have a few small scars.

"Madam Pomfry came by a few days ago ter check him up. Said he might even wake up soon." Hagrid replied.

"Remus will be…" Lily began, but stopped herself. She wasn't sure if she felt like telling Remus how Joe was doing at the moment.

"Wha' about Remus?" Hagrid pressed.

"Oh, nothing. He'll just be glad to hear he's doing better." Lily said quickly. "Well, thanks Hagrid, But I'd better-"

"Yeh know," Hagrid interrupted. "James came by earlier too."

"How nice." Said Lily uncomfortably.

"He told me that you two were fightin'." Hagrid eyed Lily cautiously. "Are yeh okay?" Lily felt herself blush.

"I'm fine." Lily replied, pressing a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. But if yeh need ter talk…"

"Thanks Hagrid, but I think I'll be okay. I mean, I'll probably talk to him about it later, or something." She lied.

"Er, alright." Hagrid said. "It was nice ter see yeh, Lily. Stop by anytime."

"Thanks. I will." Lily replied, letting herself out of the cabin. She looked up into the sky, sighing. The sun had disappeared over the horizon, and the sky almost looked green. Stars were starting to speckle the night sky, and Lily fingered her locket.

It just wasn't fair. She had been so close to getting what she wanted. So close to finding her soul mate…

But then it hit her.

Her soul mate? Says who? Remus? What did he know! Lily wasn't meant to be with James. It wasn't, like, a written rule. She could love whomever she wanted. She smiled. Besides, she was far more mortified than heartbroken.

But then, whom did she love? Lily told herself it wasn't James… but she still felt a strange twinge of doubt.

Did she love James? Sure, he was perfect… his penetrating blue eyes, his muscular arms… his sense of humor… but that didn't mean she loved him… right?

Lily sighed. Only time could tell. But one thing was sure; she didn't a relationship with anyone, now. It was far too stressful.


	26. Death Eaters & Disappearances

_Hey guys! You know, since I haven't been doing any writing recently, I was thinking about doing a short story on my favorite movie: "The Mummy". Just a thought. Has anyone else seen that movie? Does anyone have any real-life Egyptian villains? Because if I do it, I want it to be with real stuff, just like in the movies. And I'm not afraid of some good research, either. LOL! Tell me your thoughts, or what you might like to see, since you are the fabulous readers who would be reviewing it!! Hehe!_

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**Chapter 26**

**Death Eaters and Disappearances**

The next week was one of Lily's worst at Hogwarts. Lily was actually considering going home for Easter Break the next week. She found that she was laughing so much less when she wasn't a friend with the Marauders. And Hogwarts was so much more boring without James and Sirius's pranks every other afternoon.

Although, she did notice that Peter seemed very pleased with himself. He was basking in glory with his friends. Every chance he got, he would smirk at Lily as though to say "this is how it should be." Sometimes, Lily found herself wondering if Peter was the one behind Lily's pain.

Lily couldn't help but feel bad for Belle. She found herself flitting from Lily to Madison, trying to get them to apologize. What was Madison's excuse?

"Lily's tried to steal every boy that ever liked me. And I hate her."

But Lily discovered that she was willing to forgive and forget everything, now that she resolved that she didn't love James. But Madison was not interested. She had found new acquaintances with a large group of Slytherins including Shawn Lestrange, Andrew Rosier, Charlie Travers and none other that Malfoy and Snape. Whenever a Gryffindor passed Madison, they would hiss "traitor" and people like James would just ignore her completely. But Madison didn't appear to be bothered.   

Lily had done her best to avoid James in the corridors. Even if she didn't love him, every time she looked at him, she felt oddly humiliated. So the way to cope was to ignore him.

But after a few days, James actually tried to patch things up. Lily, however, wasn't quite ready to let him off.

"Lily, can't we talk about this? Please?" He begged one lunch break.

"No."

"Please?"

"_No."_

It was a cruel game, but Lily was cross. She wasn't sure how else to show him her feelings. Finally, she found that his attempts to make her notice him were getting aggravating. Now, every time he saw her, he would beg to be forgiven.

"Jesus, James! You don't even know what you're apologizing for." Lily sighed.

"But I can't stand having you so mad at me all the time." James said, giving her a sad frown.

"Can't you just back off?!"

"You're mighty cute when you're angry, Lily…" He teased.

"That's just what I thought you'd say." She said, snubbing his joke.

He sighed. "Okay. Fine; no more jokes."

"That's not what this is about, James."

"Well, then can you clue me in, or something?!" Said James in frustration.

"Just leave me alone. Please?" Lily frowned, and she left the common room.

After that argument, he approached her in the library later that afternoon.

"Hi Lily." James said softly, as though he was afraid she was a bomb about to explode.

"What are you doing here?" She asked tensely, glancing up from her Charms homework. "I thought the Marauders never set foot in a library…"

"There's this article… in the _Daily Prophet_. I found it this morning. I thought it might, er, interest you." James said ignoring her comment, and handing her the newspaper.

"When will you give it a rest?" Lily said as she eyed him with a mix of frustration and confusion, but she opened the paper.

**_Death Eaters Advance_**

Who can you really trust these days? **Writes Rita Skeeter** Daily Prophet **Reporter.** It seems that every other day, there's another sighting of You-Know-Who's henchmen, called Death Eaters. Dressed in all black, these men and women are brutal and unforgiving.

Just a few days ago, as the **Daily Prophet** can exclusively reveal, there was a large meeting of Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley. There, they arose quite a disturbance, shouting their undying faith for their Lord. Dark Marks could be seen flashing through the sky all afternoon, until the Ministry of Magic arrived. Unfortunately, they were too late, and the Death Eaters had Disapperated.

Yesterday, Death Eaters appeared on a Muggle street, and tortured many innocent Muggles. Ten were killed. The Ministry arrived with as many Aurors as they could get their hands on. Sadly, one Auror was killed before the Death Eaters Disapperated again.

The Mistress of Magic, Patricia Welling, begs everyone to stay calm, "The Ministry is doing the best it can to get this Voldemort character behind bars at Azkaban. But, I'm afraid that he is getting out of control."

Unfortunately, the number of Death Eaters is increasing…

Lily tore her eyes away from the page to look at James. He was watching her intently.

"What is this?" She asked him, putting aside her vow of silence.

"I think it means Voldemort's getting stronger." Said James. "Keep reading, that's not all."

…Also, there have been some sightings of Death Eaters near the Wizarding School, Hogwarts. Why they are traveling there, we cannot say. But what will Headmaster Dumbledore do about this?

Ministry members say that Dumbledore point-blank refuses to get protection for the students. "He doesn't want us to post Dementors at the School's entrances! If it were me, I would have brought some in a long time ago." Welling says.

Perhaps the School Governors should reconsider Dumbledore being the Headmaster of the school; especially if he declines fortification for his students.

"Now what do you think?" James asked. "Crazy, isn't it?"

"What is she saying, get rid of Dumbledore?" Lily exclaimed. "He's a wonderful Headmaster!"

"And can you believe that even _more_ Death Eaters were sighted near here?"

"James!" Lily cried. "They're after the stone!"

"What? The Stone of Rialle?" James repeated.

"Yes! Moody _did_ say it was hidden here!"

"Shhhhhh!" Screeched Madam Pince, the librarian, over her horn-rimmed glasses.

"But… why now?" James whispered.

"I guess it's strong enough for Voldemort now. Either that, or he's ready to use it." Lily replied.

She bit her lip as she looked up at James. He looked serious. Lily slowly started wondered if this meant they were friends again…

"We can't let them." James decided.

"What?"

"We can't let them get that stone." James said again. "It would mean total destruction for the whole wizarding world."

"I'm sure that Dumbledore would have thought of that, James." Lily replied. "I mean, he's the one protecting it…"

"Sure he's protecting it, but not from someone as tough as Voldemort."

"But what can _we_ do?" Lily asked in wonderment.

"I dunno. But I'll think of something."

"You always do." Lily smiled, rolling her eyes.

"That's because I'm the brains of the operation. It's my job." James grinned and winked. But when both of their smiled faded off their faces, they were still staring at each other.

Suddenly, James stuck out his hand. "Friends?"

Lily studied him for a moment tentatively. Then she smiled, and shook his hand. "Always was."

"Good." James replied. "I have to go finish my homework… talk to you later?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "But James?"

"Hm?"

"Maybe we should just keep our heads down. I mean, this whole crystal thing doesn't concern us really." Lily said uncertainly. "What if Voldemort finds out? Things would never be the same…"

"Finds out what? That we're trying to stop him?" James replied. "Let him try! Lily, listen: I have a feeling that if Voldemort continues to rise without being stopped, he's going to ruin everything our Ministry has worked so hard to create. And I'm certain that things aren't ever going to be the same again anyway. This," He said, shaking the newspaper, "isn't the first Death Eater sighting recently. There's been hundreds. See, my Dad works at the Ministry. He's told me that there's loads that the Ministry's trying to keep under wraps these days."

"Like what?" Lily asked breathlessly.

James took a quick look behind his shoulder, and then leaned in a little closer. "Well, for one, Augustus Rookwood went missing last month."

"Augustus Rookwood? The Unspeakable?"

"Yeah. He went off on a job for his Department of Mysteries two months ago, and he never came back. Nobody's seen him."

"He just vanished?"

"Without a trace." James sighed. "And if you ask me, he's not the type to just run off someplace and bide his time. Real busybody, that Rookwood. Never wastes a minute, according to my dad."

"So you think it's linked to Voldemort?"

"Oh, without a doubt. I mean, nobody really knows what those Mysteries people are up to. Rookwood could have loads of valuable information for him." James nodded. "But yeah. I'm sure that things aren't going to be easy. And there's no way James Potter is going to 'keep his head down'. No sir." He paused, and smiled. "Well, I really do have to go. I'll see you."    

"Whatever." Lily laughed. She shook her head, and returned to her work with a grin on her face. And even though she'd fought against it, she felt relieved to have James back as a friend.

But the _Daily Prophet_ report was still eating at Lily slightly. Was James right? Were the Death Eaters coming for the Stone soon? Or could they possibly be after James himself?


	27. James's Grave News

_Aloha, peoples! OMG! I just got back from Outback Steakhouse and let me tell ya, that place is the BOMB! I also saw "Shrek 2" today after driving class, and it was soooo great! Like, go see it right now! (After you read my story, obviously. LOL!) Puss in Boots is the BEST! "That's not mine, I swear!" and "Pray for mercy from… PUSS—in boots!" LOL! YAY! Donkey's still cool, but I don't want to ruin anything._

_So anywho, now that I'm done advertising for Shrek, READ AND REVIEW!_

_"Immortality will be MINE!" –Scar, Lion King (don't ask)_

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**Chapter 27**

**James's Grave News**

Easter Break was nothing short of fantastic. Now that Lily was speaking to the Marauders again, she discovered that she never wanted to fight with them again. James and Sirius were on the prowl again, and letting off dung bombs in the corridors, and then sprinting away from Filch the caretaker.

Lily even joined in this sport more than once, as Filch could never catch them-- James knew every secret passage in the castle.

But when the castle slowly started to fill up with students again, everyone went back to the homework that they had put off all week.

But on the first day back, Lily found that she was ready to get back to the daily routine of studying.

On Thursday, Lily entered the Potions classroom, already expecting to be bored. She slid into a seat next to Sirius, and leaned back in her chair.

"Settle down, settle down." Professor Walter replied, as he walked grumpily into the room. Students scooted into their desks and tried to look prepared. "Today we'll be discussing Vetriserium which is the most powerful Truth Potion known to wizard-kind…" He said tonelessly.

Lily straightened up, expecting to hear an exciting lesson. But she was quickly very disappointed.

"Now then!" Walter cleared his throat. "Now, in 1762, the first Truth Potion was invented, as I hope you all knew…" He droned. Lily's eyes threatened to droop closed, but she scribbled down a few notes, and doodled in the margins.

But suddenly, there was an urgent pounding on the door that made all the students jump awake.

"Come in!" Walter called in agitation. Professor McGonagall entered the room looking solemn. "Yes?!"

"I'm looking for Mr. Potter…" She ventured. "Ah, there he is. If I could borrow him for a moment?" McGonagall said, waving James toward her.

"I suppose." Walter said, scowling. "But I expect him back in my classroom as soon as you are through."

"I, er, am not sure that that will be doable, professor." McGonagall said, motioning James toward her again.

"Very _well!_" Walter grumbled. "Get the notes from a friend, then, Potter. I'll be sure to test you on them Monday."

"Come on then, Potter." McGonagall replied, as she held open the door for him. He grabbed his things, winked at Lily, and then followed the professor out the door.

"Whaddya think _she_ wanted?" Sirius asked Lily in an undertone.

"I'm not sure…"

"As fascinating as James's life is, this is Potions class-- so _pay attention_, Black!" Walter shouted. "20 points from Gryffindor House."

"Jackass." Sirius muttered.

"What was that?!" Walter's yell echoed throughout the dungeon.

"Nothing, sir." Sirius said innocently, as he blinked up at the teacher.

"10 more points." Walter replied, as he turned back to his lesson.

Later that evening, James wasn't at the dinner table. Nor could Lily and Sirius find him in the common room. Lily hoped that nothing had gone wrong, but somehow she knew that something was not right.

James came stumbling through the portrait hole around eight o'clock, and he looked disheveled.

"James?" Lily pressed. "Is everything okay?"

"No." He muttered shortly. "Have a look." James said, chucking a crumpled letter at Remus's feet. Remus exchanged a nervous glance with Sirius and Lily, who quickly moved to his side to read over his shoulder.

Dearest James,

I have some terrible news for you, sweet.

Late last night, Death Eaters broke into our house. There were at least seven of them and it was so frightening. I didn't know what to do!

Your dad tried to get us out of the house, but the intruders were brutal. I don't know how to say this, but… well, I just got away. Your father wasn't so lucky, baby. They killed him.

Although, I got to thinking, and I realized that that's what those men came to our house to do. I'm sure that this is a terrible shock to you, dear; it's a shock to me too. But please, don't let it ruin your last few months at school. Maybe the teachers will let you come visit this weekend so we can talk face-to-face, darling. I'm so sorry.

Take care of yourself, and keep your eyes open for those men. They could be after you, too.

I love you, and don't worry about me.

Mum

"James… Oh my God." Lily murmured. She tore her eyes away from the tear spotted page, and saw that James was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.

He didn't say anything.

"He's dead?" Sirius said blankly. Lily hit his arm and gave him a "shut up and be sensitive" look.

"Yeah." James replied looking up. His eyes were red.

"But your mum's right, you know." Lily said. "You really need to keep your eyes open. Those Death Eaters will be after you next."

"Lily!"

"It's true." She retorted. "And you all know it." She paused for a moment. "I really am sorry, James."

"I don't want you to be sorry for me." James snapped.

"Not this again, James." Lily replied. "I'm just sorry for what happened!"

"Well, good for you. But I really don't want--"

"James! Lily!" Remus silenced them. "Please!"

Lily glared at James for a moment, but then realized how rude it was, and looked away. James just stared at the floor.

"Now, I think that the thing to do is to get to bed." Remus replied, sounding very adult-like. "Especially you, James; you've been through a lot today."

"You're right, Moony." James said. Lily, Sirius, and Remus watched him stand, and head up the dormitory steps.

"I don't believe it." Sirius said softly. "Mr. Potter was so great…"

"I know." Remus sighed. Lily looked at the both of them. Never having met Mr. Potter, Lily really didn't know what to say.

"He was always so… fatherly." Sirius stuttered.

"His mum too." Remus added, looking into the fire. "James must be devastated." He replied, snapping his gaze to Lily with a look of encouragement.

"What?" Lily asked in confusion.

Sirius's lips curled into a mischievous grin as he caught on. "Don't you think he should be comforted?"

"By me?" Lily said, scandalized. "Why _me?_ He doesn't want to talk to me…"

"How can you be so sure?" Remus asked her.

"Because…" Lily began roughly. "Because, well, you saw what just happened, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But come on, Lily." Sirius urged. "Help a brotha out!"

"He's not my brother, and you're not a gangster."

"I'm not?"

"Lily, just go." Remus said. "He'll really appreciate it. I know he will."

Lily looked at him frantically. "Remus, why can't one of you talk to him?"

"Just _go."_ Sirius said, grabbing her forearm, and yanking her to her feet, and shoving her toward the boys' steps.

"Okay." Lily said meekly.

She started toward the stairs cautiously. When she was up a few steps, she distinctly heard Sirius say, "Remus, you matchmaking _dog!_ How _do_ you do it?!"

Lily chuckled to herself, and knocked on the door with James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter's names on it. She creaked the door open, and saw James sitting on his bed, gaping at the crimson wall.

"James?" She replied delicately.

He looked up at her, and shook his head with a tiny smile. "What are you doing up here, Evans?"

"Came to check on you." She said. "Can I have a seat?"

"Sure." James said, and Lily moved to sit next to him on the bed.

"Are you doing okay?" She asked warmly.

"I guess." James sighed. "It was just so sudden, you know?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, just totally out of the blue." He replied. "I guess I knew that Voldemort was after him, but it never computed that he wanted my dad dead. My dad and I were close, too."

"I really am sorry." Lily said, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Me too." He said. Lily was slightly taken aback that he didn't demand for her to take back her sympathy.

"You wanna talk about it?" Lily offered.

"I've been talking about it all day with McGonagall and Dumbledore." James said quietly. "They say Voldemort's after me, now, too." 

"James, you really do have to be careful." Lily said. "I mean, just look what he's done to me-- and I'm not even related to a Hogwarts founder."

James turned away from the wall, and looked at Lily. "Those things shouldn't have happened to you." He replied.

"But they did." She shrugged. "And I'm fine, now."

"But those nights that the Death Eaters came…"

"We're _fine,_ James. You don't have to worry about me." She said, squeezing his shoulder.

"I guess." He sighed. "I just hope that nothing else happens this year."

"Are you kidding?" Lily joked. "This year has been so much fun!"

"Yeah. A ball."

"Well, I'll just leave so you can get some sleep." Lily smiled. "Night."

"G'night. And thanks, Lily." James said, as he removed his glasses.

"No problem." Lily grinned, as she pulled the door shut.


	28. The Hospital Wing

_Hi! I'm listening to "Phantom of the Opera" right now! Yay! I love that show! Christine is, like, my ideal role. I would LOVE to play her—too bad I can't sing that high, so just kidding. Curses, foiled again. Come on, you know it would be COOL to play Christine! Unless you're a guy… then never mind. You could be the Phantom, instead. Anywho, now that I've cast you all for "Phantom", we can get on with to story._

_Would you believe that there aren't very many chapters left? Okay, so there's still quite a few—but we're getting there! __J___

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**Chapter 28**

**The Hospital Wing**

The next morning Lily awoke bright and early. The sun was sparkling down on the Hogwarts grounds and Lily wandered to the window, and pulled open the curtains to reveal a beautiful morning.

But something near Hagrid's cabin drew Lily's attention. Hagrid and Madam Pomfry were escorting someone out of his hut and up towards the castle. It took Lily less than a second to recognize that the person they were ushering was Joe.

Not wasting a minute, Lily pulled on her school attire, and raced out the door. She flew up the boys' dormitory steps, and into James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter's room. She pulled back Remus's bed hangings, and shook him awake.

"Remus! I have great news!" Lily whispered fervently.

"What is it, Lily?"

"It's Joe! They're leading him up to the school right now!" Lily exclaimed. "You have to come quick…"

"Now? He's awake?" Remus asked uncomprehendingly. But he shoved back his covers, and pulled on pants over his pajamas, and yanking a sweater on over his head.

"Yes!" Lily cried. "Hurry up!" Lily moved towards James's bedside, but Remus put out a hand to stop her.

"He hardly got any sleep last night. We can tell him later." He replied softly.

Lily looked at him. "Okay, but let's get moving."

"Someone's a little over-excited." Remus chuckled.

"Come on now, you know I'm just hoping to find out if he's all right… if anyone, _you _should be the one hustling down there…"

"I know, I know! I was just kidding." Said Remus. "Where do you think he is?"

"Probably in the hospital wing, or something." Lily said urgently. "Let's _move."_ She said, shoving Remus out the door.

"Lily, you're going to wake up the whole tower…" Remus said.

But the two of them hurried down the corridors and down staircases until they reached the fourth floor. Lily peered into the hospital wing window, and saw Madam Pomfry getting Joe situated in one of the beds. Remus wrenched the door open, and held the door open for Lily.

"Lily?" Joe muttered softly. "Whatter you doin' here?"

"We came to see you." Lily answered, glancing awkwardly at Madam Pomfry, who scuttled out of the room.

"That was nice." Said Joe thickly. He paused and closed his eyes. His hands moved up to his face and touched some of his cuts, as though he was slowly remembering what happened. "Wait… you… you all were there…"

"What? Us?" Remus said nervously.

"Yeah. I remember… I came outside, and Lily was runnin' toward me, telling me to leave… then a wolf came and attacked me. Then it changed inta you…" He murmured, pointing to Remus. "Then I passed clear away…"

Remus chuckled fearfully. "What a crazy dream that was!"

"Remus!" Lily scolded. "He knows. We might as well just tell him."

Joe looked up at them apprehensively. "Tell me what?" Then he studied Remus's face and added, "You're a werewolf, ain't cha?"

Remus looked solemn. "Yes."

"But you can't tell anybody, Joe." Lily added anxiously. "No one can know, all right? It has to be a secret. Remus would have such a hard time if--"

"Do the teachers know?" Joe interrupted.

"Of course they do." Said Lily. "How could they not?"

There was an awkward silence during which Joe touched his face, and tried to determine the seriousness of his cuts.

"I'm really sorry, you know." Remus said softly, as though he really didn't know what to say.

"It was an accident." Joe replied softly. For a moment, Lily wondered if he really meant that. Joe pulled up his shirtsleeves to examine his arms. "Sure did get bloodied up pretty bad though, didn' I? Lookit me shoulder…" He announced as though he were sporting a war-wound.

"Yeah." Remus said uneasily. "I really didn't mean to-"

"It's okay-- really." Joe assured. "You didn' mean tah."

"But what if you… become a werewolf?"

"I'll take it as it comes." Joe shrugged, but Lily saw a flash of terror rush across his face. 

At that moment, Madam Pomfry came bustling back in, reprimanding them. "Now, I'm afraid I must ask you both to leave my patient in peace… Really, he just arrived…"

"Madam Pomfry, he's not going to become a werewolf, is he?" Remus asked her, as she started to shove them out the door.

She paused, and looked at Joe over her shoulder. "Luckily, no. But only the next full moon will tell for sure."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfry." Remus said politely, as he led the way out. He gave a small wave to Joe and a meek smile.

"See you around, Lily." Joe said, grinning and making his cuts look far more prominent.

"Yeah. See you." Lily replied, closing the door behind her. "Well, that's fortunate, isn't it?" Lily added to Remus as they made their way down to Grand Hall.

"Very," He said. "I can't even express how relieved I am."

"Me either." Lily said happily. "Well, now you've got nothing to worry about, do you?"

"Nothing to worry about?" Remus repeated. "You must be joking! What if we can't trust him?! What is he going to tell his parents and friends? Everyone's going to find out…"

"No they won't, Remus." Lily assured. "I'm sure that Joe is trustworthy."

"You mean like Siverus?"

"We don't know for a fact that he was the one who told Voldemort about you." Lily said, though she doubted what she was telling him. "It could have been anyone!"

"Anyone?" Remus said again. "Anyone like whom? Like James, Peter or Sirius? Like _you?_ No one else _knows,_ Lily!"

"Okay… but still…"

"No, Lily. This is getting out of control." Remus sighed heavily.

"I guess you're right." She said quietly. "Maybe you could talk to Dumbledore! He might know what to say…"

"Maybe." Remus said uncertainly. "But I doubt it." He sighed.

"It was only a suggestion." Lily shrugged.

"And a good one." Remus smiled. "But I'm just not—I think we should bring James some toast or something from the Grand Hall." He changed the subject.

"Er, all right." Lily said, sensing the tension in Remus's voice.

They headed down to that Hall, and grabbed a napkin full of toast, and brought it back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Why don't you take it to him?" Lily recommended. "I'm going to finish getting ready for class." She grabbed a piece of toast from the pile, and took a large bite.

"Okay, see you in Transfiguration, then." Remus said, heading up the boys' steps, while Lily turned up the girls'.

"Morning Lily." Belle said as Lily opened the door softly.

"Hey." She beamed. Then she noticed Madison brushing her long, shining black hair in the corner. "Hello Madison." She added stiffly.

"Evans." Madison acknowledged. But she simply shoved past Lily and Belle and slammed the door behind her.

"God." Belle remarked. "What's up with _her?"_

"Well, you know." Lily shrugged. Even though Lily hadn't spoken to Madison in over a week, Lily still hadn't found it in her heart to tell Belle why. "It's probably those Slytherins. I think they're having a bad influence on her."

"Yeah. I dunno why she hangs around them, anyway." Belle sighed. "I mean, we're way cooler than that lot."

"I know what you mean." Lily chuckled, thinking of Snape.

"And you know something?"

"What?" Lily asked, taking another bite of toast.

"Well, Madison's been acting really strange recently." Belle said in a hushed tone.

"More so than usual?" Lily joked.

Belle breathed heavily. "Yes, more so than usual. But really. She's left our dormitory late at night, like, four times."

"Really?" Lily asked. "That _is _strange…"

"Yeah. And then she's always hanging around Lucius and that Lestrange kid…"

"Well, I noticed that much." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Think we should tell McGonagall?" Belle asked Lily grimly.

"No. Let her have her fun." Lily scoffed. "Let's get to class." She said, and the two of them grabbed their books in silence, and headed downstairs.


	29. Moody's Hints

_Hola peoples! Can you believe that the third Harry Potter movie is coming out in 18 days? But, uh, who's counting, right? I'm soooo excited to see it, even if they are completely different from the books. I just hope that they don't mess anything up. I know it might sound weird coming from a hard-core Harry Potter fan, but I sort of wish that they didn't make the movies. Don't get me wrong—Daniel Radcliffe is a great Harry (and he's pretty cute!)—but I just hate how everything isn't how I pictured it. Maybe that's selfish. Does anyone else feel that way? Let me know in a review!_

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**Chapter 29**

**Moody's Hints**

The weekend slid by, and with it came the first of May. Summer was starting to look closer from this side of Easter Break, and Lily couldn't wait to be free from homework.

But Monday came, as always, and Lily and the Marauders headed to Moody's class not expecting much. Surprisingly, Moody passed out practice test papers, and asked everyone to take it seriously.

"All right, all right." Professor Moody said, as the clock ticked closer to the end of class. "Pass your papers up to the front." Lily threw down her quill and passed her practice test forward. "Also, I've got some progress reports here, so you can see how much you have to study for my real test." He chuckled, as he moved down the rows handing people small pieces of parchment with varying degrees of disappointment. "Once you have your grade, just pack up."

When he arrived to Lily, he smiled. "Here you are, Lily. I can tell that you've been working hard. Congratulations." Lily thanked him, and looked at the paper anxiously.

Lily Evans, first period, Monday

-A

Smiling contently, Lily packed up her things, and headed for the door along with the other students.

"Lily," Belle said, pulling her aside. "Look at my grade! He gave me a D!"

"It's a D plus, actually." Lily said comfortingly. "And it's only a progress report. You can still bring it up."

"I'm going to talk to him." Belle said determinedly. Then she added softly, "Will you come with me? Please?"

"You're not scared of him, are you?" Lily laughed as Moody walked up to his desk.

"Of course not! Don't be silly!" Belle scoffed, but looked at Lily pleadingly. "Just come with me?"

"You know I will. Come on then, before the bell rings." Lily said, giving Belle a slight poke in the back.

"Perfect." Belle said uneasily, as she marched up towards Moody who was seated at his desk.

"Hardly seem to need me, do you?" Lily muttered to herself, as Belle approached the desk.

"Yes, Figg?" Moody growled from behind his desk. Belle took a settling breath.

"I wanted to-"

"Talk about your grade?" Moody interrupted. "I heard you talking to Evans. The only reason it looks that bad is because you don't do some of the homework. You could really succeed in this subject if you put more effort into it. You're another one who might want to consider a career as an Auror."

"Really, sir?" Belle said in astonishment. "You think so?"

"If you work at it, yeah." Moody said. "Now get to class." He said, just as the bell sounded.

Lily turned to leave, but Moody barked at her and James to stop.

"James--Lily. Stay. I have to talk to you about something." He called. Lily stopped in her tracks and headed back towards Moody's desk with James at her side.

"What about sir? We're both passing your class…" James said.

"It's not about my _class_." Moody snarled. His blue eye was going berserk in its socket, as it searched the emptying room. "It's about the Stone of Rialle."

Lily gasped softly. What new information could Mad-Eye Moody possibly have for them?

"Outside sources have told me that Voldemort's getting closer to Hogwarts. I'm sure you've seen it in the _Prophet."_ Moody said gruffly. "And I'm sure that you know why he's headed here."

"Because the Stone's here. We know… you told us." Lily said.

"For sure." Moody said. "They're coming for it-- and soon."

"But Professor, _where is the Stone?"_ James asked him.

"Dumbledore thinks I shouldn't tell you, so I won't because I trust his judgment. But I do think that you should be on your toes. He could arrive here any day now." Moody replied. "And Dumbledore doesn't think that we should get dementors."

"Well, dementors are the Dark Side's natural allies." Lily said smartly. She looked at the professor's solid face and added, "What should we do when he gets to Hogwarts?"

"Protect it with your lives." Moody said as though this were the most obvious thing.

"Protect the Stone?" James repeated. "You- _a teacher-_ are telling us that we should risk our lives to save that stone?"

"Yes." Moody said. "You do of course realize that there will be no life worth living if Voldemort gets that Stone?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"I know that you were going to try to protect it, anyway." Moody said. Lily and James exchanged guilty glances. "Dumbledore tells me that you both are those kind of people. So, I'm giving you permission to go for it. And I'm giving you help: If Voldemort gets in the castle, come up to my office. There you'll find something that might be useful. Take it, and go up to the owlery."

"The owlery?" Lily repeated. "Why? What's in there?"

"You'll understand when the time comes. I don't want to tell you any more, in case something happens--"

"Like what?"

"Like spies, Potter." Moody said softly. "Now off to class with the two of you. And remember-- _constant vigilance!_"

"Wait a minute--spies?" Lily repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Get to class, Evans." Moody laughed huskily.

"Hold on, Moody- you don't seriously think that there's Death Eaters here at Hogwarts? Who are you trying to fool?" James said derisively.

"Listen, I've told you too much already." Moody said. "Now I admire your ambition, but you're really pushing me, here. _Get to class. _Both of you."

"Moody-"

"James, let's just go." Lily said, cutting him off and grabbing his elbow. She steered him out of the classroom with a nod of thanks to Professor Moody. When the door was securely closed, she looked at James. "What are you thinking? You can't say those things to a teacher!"

But James shrugged her away. "Can you believe that guy? He gives us a hint, then leaves us hanging!"

"He's worried." Lily said a little softer. "All the teachers are."

"You think so?" James questioned.

"Yes! Haven't you seen their faces when Voldemort is mentioned? And don't you read the papers? Muggles are being attacked right and left! Not to mention your dad--"

"Okay, so they honestly think that Voldemort's headed here?" James asked her quietly. Then Lily realized how rude it was to refer to his father.

"Certainly. I saw him in the Forest, didn't I?" Lily said coolly.

"You're taking this awfully well." James said with surprise. "I'd think that you'd be a little more afraid."

"I'm sure that we've faced the worst down behind that mirror." She replied, shrugging. "But Moody's right this time: we should be on our toes."

"I guess so." James said uneasily.

"What's wrong? Don't you agree?"

"Well, no." James replied. "But now I know that he's capable of… murder."

Lily grew silent. She couldn't think of anything to say. Even with all of her dangerous encounters this year, why didn't she think that death could be knocking? She remembered that at the beginning of her seventh year, she had been terrified-- why wasn't she now, when death really was nearby and possibly lurking in the Forbidden Forest at this moment?

"We should get to class." Lily said, walking away down the corridor. The hallway suddenly felt a great deal colder, and Lily found that she was hugging herself.

"Scared?" James called after her. It froze in the air and hovered in Lily's mind. Lily Evans? Scared?

"No." She snapped, and she straightened up and walked down the corridor with her head held high. But in her mind she kept thinking, _I'm scared out of my mind, James! _You-Know-Who _is going to kill you _and_ me, just like he killed your father…_


	30. Voldemort's Verdict

_Aloha! Haha! Well, if our Harry Potter has to come out after yours, at least I get to see Shrek before you do, AnimeAngel90! In your face! HA! Sorry Virginia, I guess I felt that it was high time I started posting things the right way, instead of my random ten-chapter chapters. Anywho, I'm really glad that you like my story, PatchLover08! Have you read "Lily Evans and the Marauders?" It's this one's prequel._

_Anyway, mahalo for reading and reviewing!_

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**Chapter 30**

**Voldemort's Verdict**

Over the next week, Lily found herself checking the front page of the _Daily Prophet _for any articles or signs of Voldemort. And, to no one's surprise, he was always mentioned. Muggle tortures… Ministry attacks… meetings… fights… and the demand for Aurors was growing, too.

Wizards all over Britain were starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, and always with the fear in the back of their minds that all was not well. The Mistress of Magic was always quoted in the papers as nervous, frightened, and even _"In way over her head."_ These comments only scared the public even more-- if their Mistress was befuddled, what was everyone else supposed to do?

And when teachers like Professor Trelawny kept predicting death and destruction in James's Divination class, all that was left of their composure was torn apart. Especially when it came to the terrified first years.

But Headmaster Dumbledore tried to stay unruffled, and continue with classes as though everything was perfectly normal. This attitude helped to keep the students calm… to some extent.

Lily did her best to keep her head about things too, and never forgetting the rushed advice that Moody had given her and James.

On Monday, Lily headed to the greenhouses for Herbology with the Slytherins for the last class of the day. It was a sunny afternoon, and the giant squid could be seen, dangling its tentacles out of the lakes glittering waters lazily.

"I can't wait to be out of school." Belle confided, sitting down on the workbench, and pushing a pot of plants out of her way. "Then we'll be finished with homework for good."

"I don't know. I rather think I'll miss Hogwarts." Lily answered, as she watched James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter stroll into the room with a wave.

"Some things more than others." Belle chuckled, watching Lily's face, as it turned slightly red.

"I didn't mean--"

But Belle cut off her rambling. "I know what you meant." She laughed again. Just then, the bell sounded, and Madison with her new friends from Slytherin came into the room casually as though being late didn't matter to them. Lily noticed that James avoided Madison's eye as she passed, and sat a row in front of Lily and Belle.

"Morning, class." Madam Sprout said cheerily. "Today we'll be repotting Yalnats Ferns. Can anyone tell me the purpose of these plants?" She asked, looking out over the crown of uninterested students. Madison, who always raised her hand, was engaged in conversation with Lucius.

"Anyone?" Madam Sprout repeated, looking slightly taken aback that none of her students wanted to contribute. Finally, Lily reluctantly raised her hand into the air.

"The Yalnats Fern is used to draw water out of another plant, or even a human for it's own uses." Lily said from memory.

"Wonderful!" Madam Sprout said, happy once more. "5 points to Gryffindor. Now, when repotting these little shrubs, I want you to wear your dragon hide gloves. And be sure that the roots don't touch your bare skin-- if they do, you'll find yourself in the infirmary getting water pumped into you. There are plenty of pots, so, straight to it!" She replied, clapping her hands together and starting in on the ferns.

Lily pulled on her gloves, as instructed, and took hold of the stalk of the plant. She pulled, and the fern came out of the soil with an annoyed _pop_. The roots of the Yalnats plant were very interesting: at the end of each tentacle-like base there was a circular sucker, about the size of a dime. They squirmed, searching for a victim. Lily quickly shoved the plant into a larger pot, and Belle applied earth all around it, taking care not to touch the suckers, before pouring an ample amount of water into the fern's new home.

"Whew! Look at that ugly thing!" Madison commented to Lucius in front of them. "I refuse to touch it!" Lily and Belle exchanged a glance.

"It's not that bad." Lucius chuckled. But then he lowered his voice, "Is yours as dark as mine?" He asked, clutching his arm. Lily stared at Belle, and the two of them leaned in to hear Madison's response.

Madison also lowered her voice to a whisper. "Yes; I guess we have to go tonight. Going out at midnight is seriously starting to mess with my studies…"

Lucius agreed. "And don't forget to talk to… _her _before you come. He was not pleased when you said you weren't friends anymore…"

"I remember." Madison said with a small shiver. "Stop nagging, Malfoy. We'll make up—but on _my _terms." Madison added smugly.

"You should do it soon." Lucius replied. And there was finality in his voice that told Lily their conversation was over.

"What do you think that was about?" Belle whispered in Lily's ear.

"I dunno…"

"What should we do?" She asked Lily.

Lily shrugged. "But we're going to follow her."

Lily couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing. Maybe they should have told a teacher-- or even gotten James and Sirius to come with them-- anything but follow Madison alone.

But there Lily lay, alone in her bed, her heart pounding as she waited for the sound of Madison stirring. If she and Belle could pull this off…

There was the sound of the clock, gently reminding everyone of the late hour. Lily counted the chimes with bated breath… _one… two… seven… ten… and twelve. _It was time. So, why wasn't Madison moving?

Perhaps they had missed her? Maybe she left early? Frantically, Lily tried to recall if she had dozed off—she might have missed Madison's departure entirely.

But no—there was a small squeak from the bed on her left. Lily's ears listened to each footstep as it moved to the door… a creak; she was leaving the room… and the smallest click. Madison was now on the stairs.

"Belle?" Lily whispered into the pressing silence.

"Ready?" Was Belle's response.

"Yes." Lily said softly. "Let's go." And, praying that the two other girls in their dormitory were sleeping soundly, they pulled back their bed hangings and peeked out the door. No Madison. They moved like the wind, pausing in the shadows as they creped down the girls' steps. The common room was empty.

"You don't think we've lost her?" Lily asked fearfully.

"I hope not." Belle said, opening the portrait hole. The Fat Lady was sleeping—hopefully they wouldn't have trouble getting back into the Gryffindor Tower when the time came.

"Look—there," Belle murmured, pointing through the darkness to the shape of Madison. Lily nodded and the two of them stealthily moved through the corridors, slinking into dark corners, and leaping behind suits of armor.

When they had reached the marble staircase, Madison stopped abruptly. Lily halted behind one of the tall gargoyles, and Belle slammed into her.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked in an undertone.

"Shhh!" Lily scolded.

Madison stared into the dim light of the Entrance Hall, and her ears struggled to pick up any sounds. Lily's heart was pounding—surely Madison would hear it? Madison nervously fingered her ink black hair and finally took her first stride down the marble steps. Lily held Belle back.

"Let her get out of the Entrance Hall." She instructed in a whisper.

"What if we lose her?"

"That's a chance we'll have to take; the Hall is too big, she could see us." Lily said as softly as her voice would allow.

The two friends didn't speak or move again until they heard the defined _clunk _of the double door closing snuggly.

"Come on," Belle said, taking Lily's elbow, and hurrying her down the stairs. Their feet clacked against the marble flooring as worries and what-ifs were smashing around her brain. _What if Dumbledore catches us? This has to be against the rules…_

But finally, they pulled open the door together, and the cool night air rushed in to meet them. The moonlight was refreshing, and Lily stood letting in wash over her warm and uneasy face.

And suddenly, Lily was reminded of that fatal night that she had followed a Death Eater into the forest trap. She had put her own life in danger that night-- a night just like this-- and now she was repeating her brainless actions. Joe had had to pay the price that evening, and now, it could be Belle or herself. They shouldn't be here.

"Where _is _she?" Belle asked.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't be out here." Lily said nervously. Her eyes scanned the edge of the forest for any sign of a Death Eater or an ambush.

"What? We can't back out now…" Belle said convincingly. "We'll find her." She replied, taking Lily's elbow again and dragging her towards the forest's lip.

"No—you don't understand. This isn't safe…" Lily muttered vaguely.

"Look, there she is!" Belle whispered happily.

"But Belle--"

"Shhh!"

Feeling terrified, Lily allowed Belle to pull her into the Forbidden Forest's gloom. The moon was now shielded from view, making everything so much darker. The silhouettes of the trees were painted on the ground like ghostly paintings, and the stillness was enthralling. Her heart rate increasing, Lily now took the lead as her adrenalin took over.

They moved through the darkness of the woods stealthily, stalking Madison's every move. Lily's feet hardly crunched against the leaves, as she tiptoed around roots and twigs. Was it her imagination, or could she hear running water?

The forest was getting thinner now, and the animals of the night seemed to notice that Dark happenings were being held in the forest that night, and now the silence was surrounding them. Madison started to slow down as a small creek came up to meet them. Belle and Lily quickly concealed themselves behind large tree trunks.

"Evening, Gregory." It was Lucius. Lily leaned cautiously around her tree to take in the scene. Lucius and about seven others were cloaked in black, and sitting on various rocks surrounding the stream. Their heads were hooded.

"Malfoy." Madison nodded, pulling her own hood up over her head delicately. "So, Lestrange," She said walking next to another hooded figure. "Where were you last meeting?"

"Walter was suspecting me." Said Shawn Lestrange from under his disguise.

"Pah!" Another laughed. "As if he would have cared! You should have told him where you were going."

"Yeah, well." Lestrange shrugged. "It's not like there was anything I could do." But suddenly, everyone in the circle gasped and clutched their left arms.

"Oh, God…" Some muttered.

"He's coming." Said others.

"Why does he have to do that?" Lucius groaned. "God, it _burns_…"

"Young Malfoy can't take a little pain?" Said a high, derisive voice. It was Voldemort. He walked into the small clearing with two more adult Death Eaters at his side.

"Sir, I didn't mean that I couldn't--"

"Pain builds character, Lucius." He chuckled. "Perhaps you could do with more?"

"No- no, sir…Master, I…" But before he could think of an excuse good enough for the Dark Lord, he had shouted "_Crucio!"_ And Lucius was on the ground, twitching and howling. Lily forced herself to look away.

Finally, Lucius's crying subsided, and Voldemort's laugh cut into the night sky. It was almost worse than the sobbing.

"_That _is what builds character, Malfoy." Voldmort said. The young Death Eaters all shivered in unison, as though each one wanted to step away-- but was much too afraid.

"Master," Someone muttered. "Pray, tell us, to what do we owe this chance to see our Lord once more?"

Voldemort stared at the person who spoke with his chilling eyes. "The Stone of Rialle." Lily had to suppress a gasp.

"Is it time, Master?"

Lily held her breath. She and James weren't ready… she could sprint up to the castle, maybe… no, there wouldn't be time…

"No." He answered. Lily sighed with relief. "Not yet."

"Then, why are we here, Sire?"

"I want to warn you that we will breaking into the castle soon. And, as my Death Eaters of Hogwarts, you must be prepared to do all that is necessary to get me, and my adult Death Eaters into the castle- at all costs." Voldemort said seriously. "Anyone who flees will taste the wrath of the new, and most powerful Voldemort. For when I have the stone, I shall be unstoppable!"

"How soon, master?" Someone muttered. "Within the week?"

"No… perhaps next week." Voldemort answered. "I must gather my strength."

Lily was so shocked, that she missed the rest of the short conversation. Voldemort was going after the stone… soon. She caught Belle's eye, and motioned for them to leave before the Death Eaters did.

Silently, they moved away from the rushing water and the cold, cruel laughter of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Lily almost expected the people in the clearing to realize she was spying on them, and sprint through the forest to torture them to death.

She vaguely wondered if Madison would stop the Death Eaters, if they did attack.

When Lily and Belle had reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they instinctively broke into a run, and dashed all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower. They poked and prodded the sleeping Fat Lady, who finally awoke, and let them in.

Only the dying fire lighted the common room. Lily moved toward it, and built it up again. She flopped herself into a chair, and only then did the two girls speak.

"I'm so confused." Belle stated. Lily snorted with laughter that she didn't expect. "I'm serious, Lil. I thought I knew what was going on in this castle, but I don't know what the hell the Stone of Rialle is!"

"You really _want _to know?" Lily asked her. "It's a burden…"

"And what's this about breaking into Hogwarts? And who _were_ those guys? They weren't Death Eaters, were they?" Belle asked.

"Okay, do you want to know, or don't you?" Lily demanded.

"Well, yes."

"Then, one thing at a time." Lily said. She took a deep breath, and started to spill. Just about everything that had occurred that year-- excepting Amos, Remus, James, obviously. It felt remarkably good to tell Belle exactly what she knew about the stone and all the Dark happenings.

She was so enthralled, that when the portrait hole squeaked open a half hour later, it made Lily jump.

"What are you all doing up?" It was Madison. She strolled into the glow, removing her cloak.

"Couldn't sleep." Belle said, faking a yawn.

"Well, it's no wonder—you _are_ fully dressed." She snapped, shaking her hair so it glimmered mockingly in the firelight.

"As are you." Lily said, eyeing her with little respect. How could she have ever counted this girl on her side? "Where were you?"

"As if it's any of your business." Madison barked. She paused, as though remembering something. "I mean to say… it's a secret."

"If you're trying to get us to beg, it's not happening." Belle said. "Tell us or don't; it's that simple."

Madison bit her lip, as though thinking hard. "If truth be told, I was with a man." _Yeah you were…_Lily thought, _The Dark Lord Voldemort, if you could call him a man._

"A man? A boy from our school, you mean?" Belle corrected.

"Well… yes." Madison smiled smugly. Lily tried to look uninterested, though Madison's foul attempts at friendship were quite humorous.

"I've been thinking, Lily," Madison said, dropping the fake, giddy air.

"Thinking? Is that something new?"

"Ha ha. I just think that we shouldn't have let a boy come between us." Madison said. Lily would have thought this was genuine, if Madison hadn't spoken to Lucius about apologizing a few hours ago.

"What? What boy?" Belle interjected. Lily chose to ignore her.

"I didn't let a boy come between us." Lily replied, but Madison interrupted her.

"Listen, I know you liked him, but honestly! It's not my fault if he liked _me_ better. After all, you never act like you liked him, so really, its no wonder James lost interest in you." She snapped. Lily stared at her.

"James? What?"

"I can't believe you!" Lily said over Belle's chatter. "You know, he told me that he didn't love you. I would think that was obvious, seeing as you both have avoided each other since that night. And there's no way that James would ever be interested in a Slytherin wanna-be; he's a Gryffindor—through and through."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It can mean what you want it to mean. But really, you've got no self pride anymore." Lily said angrily. "Just look at yourself! Tromping into the common room at one in the morning, dressed in black… and hanging around Lucius Malfoy?"

"Lucius is a perfectly fine friend! Better than the two of you! At least I get some adventure when I hang around him. All you ever do is study for B.A.T.s!" Madison scoffed. "I'm off to bed."

"Fine! Go!" Lily spat. Madison stormed out of the common room, and up the stairs with her hands in tight fists. "We're better off without her, Belle."

"After tonight, I'd say so." Belle murmured.

They continued to discuss what they encountered, before heading up to bed around two. But Lily found herself tossing and turning under her sheets. Lucius's screams kept breaking through her moments of sleep. How could Madison want to be a Death Eater? Did she experience things like that every night?

She most certainly had misjudged Madison's character…


	31. The Night Begins

_Back again! Wow, okay, getting really close to being finished. Then I'll be done with fanficiton for a while, until I can come up with a story good enough for you guys. Too bad you all have expectations for my writing by now! LOL! I hope I don't let you down with whatever I choose to write about. Hehe! _

_You know what kind of gum is absolutely delicious? Koolerz from Carefree. Yum! It's sooo juicy! I especially like the lemonade kind. But the flavor wears off really fast, but it's still tasty._

_School is almost over!—HEY!—School is almost over! (I'm doing a victory dance right now, but you just can't tell.)_

_Oh! I getta go see "Hairspray" tomorrow with my school! YEE!_

_Anyway! Only 8 more chapters plus epilogue! I wonder if I'll post the epilogue in one chunk? I dunno, tell me what you think!_

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**Chapter 31**

**The Night Begins**

For the next few days, the only thing on Lily's mind was the previous night. Of course, she told James about what she and Belle had come upon. He was angry that they hadn't brought him along, but excited to hear the news.

"So, he says he'll be breaking in soon? Are you _sure_ he didn't say when?" James repeated again and again.

"As I've said, he said sometime next week—but no certain day." Lily replied.

But poor Belle just couldn't get over the fact that their supposed friend was a Death Eater. She seemed to think that it was her fault for not watching her more carefully. But Lily tried to convince her that maybe Madison was just destined to serve the Dark Lord.

But, at the moment, the more pressing problem was in the full moon on Friday. Remus would be off to the Shrieking Shack—but what about Joe? Would he become a werewolf? Or would he return to the castle as a little boy?

Early on Friday morning, Remus and Joe left the common room together, and headed to the hospital wing. Lily and James stayed sitting rigidly in chairs, waiting anxiously to see if Joe would return, or for classes-- whichever came first.

But he didn't return before nine o'clock. Lily's insides were squirming as they made their way through the halls to Transfiguration. Surely Madam Pomfry could tell if he would be a werewolf by now…

But even as lunch rolled around, Joe wasn't back. So Lily's uneasy stomach remained. It was so unnerving, that she started to wonder if she was really worried about Joe. Could it be that her safety felt totally violated knowing what was lurking in the forest, waiting for the right moment to strike? Maybe it was just knowing that the end could possibly be near. But all that Lily knew for sure was that she didn't like this feeling of anticipation—whether for a friend, or a serious foe.

Finally though, as the afternoon came near to a close, Joe came strolling into the common room with a visible spring in his step. Lily could have kissed him. A huge wave of relief had flooded through her: Remus wouldn't be in trouble—there would be no unanswerable questions—and most importantly, Remus could stay at Hogwarts.

Now there was only one thing to worry about, and nothing to keep her mind away from it. Danger was on its way. And she, Belle, and James were the only ones who knew it.

The days passed slowly. Half of the time, Lily expected a teacher to come screaming through the halls that Voldemort had arrived. But no teachers came. Honestly, Lily wasn't sure if this was good or bad.

Just waiting for news was terrible. Lily couldn't sleep soundly anymore. Tossing and turning occurred every night. The other girls in her dormitory seemed to notice her discomfort, but didn't say much about it. _Any day now…_ Kept lurking in her mind.

But Monday passed… and Tuesday… and soon, it was Friday, and Lily knew that it was nearly time. Only two days left in the week…

But dinner skidded by with no word of a break in, or of any sightings of the Dark Lord.

_Saturday… Surely he'll come Saturday._

But he didn't. But this time, Lily was truly getting scared. The waiting was murder! When would he come? When would it be over?

"Okay, when he comes go to Moody's office. Remember that, Lily. Moody's office." James kept on repeating at the most random times.

Lily would just reply, "Right. Moody's office. Okay."

It was moments like this that made Lily feel like her fears weren't just hers—and James was feeling the same way. _He'll come Sunday… Definitely Sunday…_

On Sunday morning, Lily got a letter from Amos. She nervously opened it, almost fearing what he would write back, after her near answer last time.

_My Dearest Lily,_

_            You might just be saying that only to keep me off of your back. And really, I don't care if you are. I'm glad that you'll at least consider my offers of affection, for all of them are still intact and just as sincere as ever before._

_It's funny, you know. Just when I think I've lost you, you come back-- well, almost. I think that's what I like the best about you. You keep me on my toes, and it's always interesting to see what you'll pull out of your sleeve next! _

_Every time I see your letters, Lily, I can't help but smile. It's good to talk to you. You say that you hardly know me-- but I feel like I've known you forever. And I want to give you the chance to know me the same way. _

_I think about you constantly. I just wonder if you ever think of me._

_Well, no matter. I won't scare you with my foolish love talk. How about this: tell me about Hogwarts?_

_I remember my days as a Prefect, and you're better: Head Girl, Lily! And soon you'll be graduating. Have you given any thought to what you'll do after school? I'm sure that you want to move out of your house, seeing as few people will ever be there. You know, you could always scratch that! Ha! I'd rather ask you in person._

_Anyway, I hope to see you soon. Maybe after graduation day!_

_But until next time,_

_ I'm yours,_

_Amos Diggory_         

Amos! Lily felt like screaming. Although, his letter did intrigue her. What was he planning to ask her? _Maybe Monday…_

"Lemme get this straight—we go to Moody's? Then the owlery?" Belle asked Lily for the hundredth time.

"Yes. Moody's." Lily nodded. This question was getting old. _Tuesday, for sure… it's been two weeks…_

Remus and Sirius approached Lily on Tuesday, confronting her about everything she knew about Voldemort. So James had spilled. Apparently, late at night, he couldn't stand the pressure, and he had to tell someone—just as Lily had with Belle. _So Wednesday… He'll come Wednesday._

Lily's fingernails were now reduced to nubs from biting them in worry and expectancy. Having shorter nails certainly helped when playing her flute in Muggle Music that day. Playing helped calm Lily's nerves and gave her a sense of security. If she had to feel jumpy outside, at least music could soothe her insides.

"You're sounding very good, Lily." The Professor commented, as Lily played her song passionately. "You really have a talent for music, you know."

Her eyes skimmed the notes, and they jumped and danced across the page. It was almost like a magical spell within itself. Sure, it may not produce a charm, but it enchanted and relieved Lily's soul… and that's what she needed right now. _Maybe Thursday…_

Lily awoke on Thursday with a strange sense of self-assurance. After all, it had been almost three weeks since that night in the forest. Perhaps this whole break in was just a false alarm, and Voldemort really had no intention of coming to Hogwarts while there were students present.

So she happily went to History of Magic that afternoon, feeling quite good. She sat down in her desk, and tried to get comfortable in the scrawny wooden desk. She pulled out some random notes, but really wasn't planning on taking any new ones. And as Professor Binns floated eerily into the room, Lily and the other students around her assumed their bored and sleepy faces that they saved especially for his lectures.

"Now then, the Goblin Rebellion of 1891 proved to be a success for the Ministry." Binns droned tonelessly.

"Another rebellion?" Sirius audibly whispered. "How many can they have?"

"Goblins are rambunctious!" Binns shouted at him. Lily snorted with laughter into her hand. "There is nothing to be said about it!"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir." Sirius replied, mimicking a private in the army and dramatically saluting the teacher.

"I'll have none of your shenanigans today, Mr. Black! Detention!" Binns yelled. James laughed, and so Binns turned on him. "One for you as well, Mr. Potter!" Now that the two troublemakers were with detentions, Binns felt satisfied enough to continue with his speech.

But, very suddenly, a loud, donging bell sounded throughout the classroom. Lily sat up straight. Had she fallen asleep? She thought that class had just started.

"Oh, _honestly!"_ Binns groaned. "Stay seated! Class is not finished!" He directed his class as he whooshed through a wall and out of the room. James caught Lily's eye, and motioned her over. She hurried to his side.

"Yeah?" She said softly. She didn't need to worry about anyone hearing her, though, for everyone was chattering amongst themselves.

"You don't think…?"

"Don't think what?" Lily asked him quickly, knowing full well what he was about to suggest.

"Voldemort… you know." James muttered, glancing behind him.

"No, he couldn't… it's a false alarm, I'm sure of it. It's been over two weeks." But the tone of Lily's voice gave her away.

Binns came floating back into the room, beckoning everyone to follow him down to the Grand Hall. James hurried ahead to talk to the ghost of a Professor, but Lily grabbed his elbow.

"Should we go to Moody's?" She asked him. "We should get a head start, don't you think?"

"No, let's find out what's going on first. You might be right—it could be a false alarm or something." Said James encouragingly.

"Okay. If you say so."

"Yeah. Okay." He replied. But he just stared at his arm. "You can let go of me now, Lily."

"Oh!" She said, realizing that she was still clinging to his upper-arm. She quickly released her grasp. "Sorry."

"Let's catch up with the others." He suggested, as the rest of their class turned a corner.

When the group of students reached the marble stairs, they found that everyone at Hogwarts was congregated at the school's entrance.

"Look—there's Dumbledore!" Sirius said, nudging Lily in the ribs. And so he was. Many pupils were rushing up to the Headmaster, trying to find out what exactly was going on. Lily, Belle, and the Marauders dashed down the steps, trying to catch up with Professor Dumbledore. But they were too late. He had opened the doors, and his voice became magically thunderous. He shouted for everyone to make his or her way into the Grand Hall.

The stampede of students was huge. Lily and her friends were pushed and shoved into the Hall. Everyone seemed to know that something serious was going on, but what?

"Hey, Evans!" Someone shouted. Lily spun around.

"Yes?" She shouted over the heads of a group of confused looking fourth year Ravenclaws, who skirted around her and the marauders, who had created a sort of rock in the river of students. She saw that Lucius and Siverus were trying to make their way over to Lily and James.

"They're coming." Lucius whispered in her ear as they passed.

"What the hell does that mean?" Lily said to him. He only smirked, and motioned for Snape to follow him.

"Be careful, Lily…" Snape muttered as he passed. "Don't do anything stupid…"

"Can you believe the two of them?" She steamed.

"I know," James said gravely, putting a hand on her back, and shoving her forward. "But for now, let's get in the Grand Hall."

When everyone was inside, the doors were slammed closed. The Hall grew silent, and the echo of the doors rang in everyone's ears. Dumbledore stood up from the head table and looked out at his students. There was something different about him… he looked sad, and for the first time, almost old.

"Students." He began. His voice was heavy and stern. The Hall was dead silent, waiting for what the Headmaster would say next. "I have been informed by the Ministry of Magic that the Dark Lord Voldemort has been seen in the Forbidden Forest on grounds." He paused, while everyone excepting Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, Peter and Belle looked around nervously.

Whispers of disbelief and worries surrounded Lily. Suddenly, it felt like there was something strong pressing down on her chest. It was happening… he was coming… She looked up at the enchanted ceiling—almost trying to find something solid to hold on to. The sky above her was turning as deep red as fire as the sun began to set behind the mountains far away.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and everyone grew quiet again. "Rumors say that he will be coming here. I want no one to panic. The Ministry Aurors are on their way, and we will do everything in our power to assure your safety. Dinner will be served in your common rooms, and I must expressly forbid anyone to leave their dormitories until told otherwise by your Heads of House. Please follow your Prefects to your Houses."

It was a mad rush for the door. Lily and her friends tried to hang back, so as not to be caught in the current of scurrying students. Lily glanced up at the head table before closing the door behind them, and Moody was staring at her with both of his terrifying eyes. She knew what they had to do, but she was just afraid to do it.


	32. The Floating Door

_Oh my gosh! I saw "Hairspray" today! It was great! I bought the CD and it's so cool! LOL! I want to marry Link! He was sooo cute! "I can hear the bells…" _

_YAY! So awesome! Anyways, I'm getting worried—this story's almost over, and I don't have another one! NO! I know how hard it will be, but you'll have to survive without my daily postings! Hehe!_

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**Chapter 32**

**The Floating Door**

"You all ready?" James said, turning to look at them when they reached the top of the marble staircase.

"Wait-- ready?" Peter stuttered. "To do what, exactly?"

"Pete, we told you. We're going to help." Sirius said.

"H-help? Help with what? We can't stop… _Y-You-Know-Who_." He stammered.

"Look, Lily and I promised Mad-Eye that we'd do something. If you don't want to lend a hand, you don't have to." James said, looking around at their group.

"James, maybe we should just go to the common room with the others…" Lily said quietly. He stared at her as though she was crazy.

Then he took her by the shoulders, and said, "We're helping. And we'll be fine. Moody wouldn't have asked us if he didn't think we'd make a difference."

"James, this was from the guy who kept screaming, 'constant vigilance' and saying that everyone had potential of becoming an Auror someday!" Belle said fearfully.

"He didn't say I'd make a good Auror…" Peter muttered to himself.

"That's because you wouldn't, Pete." Sirius laughed.

"Now common, guys. We'll be fine." James repeated, as he gave Lily's shoulders a supportive squeeze, and then went striding down the hall with Peter bobbing at his heels.

"James, for once, Lily's right! This isn't our business, James…" He babbled uselessly.

"Shut up, Peter." Lily said, giving him a glare, and walking next to James. He gave her a small approving smile, and she grinned back.

When they had reached Moody's classroom, Lily opened the door tentatively. James followed her, and told the others to wait outside and watch for any teachers, just in case Moody had forgotten to mention that they had permission to be out and about. Lily touched her wand in her pocket, and looked around the classroom.

"Nothing looks different." She said. "What did he want us to retrieve?"

"I dunno. But let's check his desk." James suggested. They made their way past the rows of desks and up to the teacher's desk. There were piles of papers, and a drawer sloppily closed. And there, in the dead center of the table was a large key.

"This?" Lily asked, picking it up. Surprisingly, it was heavy. Made of bronze, it looked very old and rusty. But there was something very original and strange about the key. At the base, where you would slid it into the door, it had a large, sphere in the place of spikes.

"How weird…" James muttered, taking the key out of Lily's hands. She noticed that his fingers trembled slightly as he held the key up to his face. Suddenly, he jammed it into his pocket and said, "Let's move."

She followed a very determined James out of the classroom. Without saying a word, he passed their friends and started to make their way down the hall towards the owlery. As they walked, Belle pulled Lily aside.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yes." Lily said, although she sounded very unpersuasive. But she cleared her throat and regained her strength. "But I'm really glad that you all are coming with us. Maybe now we'll outnumber him, or something, you know?"

"I sure hope you're right." Belle sighed. The mood was tense as they pulled open the heavy wooden door.

"Everyone look for a circular keyhole." James instructed. Lily started glancing around the room.

"Wait a second," She muttered. "I saw a keyhole in here earlier this year!" She exclaimed.

"Where?" Remus asked, as his eyes scanned the walls.

"I don't remember." Lily replied. "But I was standing here, at the window…" She explained, leaning up against the window frame.

"Once again, Lily is no help at all." Peter murmured under his breath, though everyone heard him. Lily bit her lip angrily, and looked at the owls that were hooting with interest. She stared at a moment at a large tawny owl, and suddenly she noticed--

"There! There it is!" She shouted, pointing to the circular keyhole she had observed previously. "James, give me the key." She said, holing out her hand. He gave it to her, and she slipped it into the hole. She paused, and tried to turn the key, but there was only the scraping of metal on metal. The circular sphere wouldn't turn the lock.

"Maybe there's a spell, or something?" James suggested, pulling his wand out of his robe pocket. But as he was rolling up his sleeves, the bronze key began to vibrate. Softly at first, there was a noticeable sound of a spark like a cigarette lighter. Suddenly, the key started to feel hot so Lily's hand recoiled. She exchanged a confused glance with Remus as the key began to bend itself _into a doorknob._

"Try touching it, Lil." Sirius said faintly. Lily stretched out her hand once more, and quickly tapped the handle, hoping she wouldn't burn herself.

"It's cool again." She said, placing her hand on the new handle. She turned it, and pulled the door open. Everyone gasped as they saw a long, dark, staircase that descended downward. A whoosh of warm air flooded into the owlery, and the owls cried out in agitation.

"Wands out, do you reckon?" Belle muttered. Lily nodded, and murmured, "_Lumos."_ Her wand tip lit up and she looked at James, almost expecting him to take the lead. But Remus was quick to jump forward.

"Come on then. No use standing around." He motioned. Lily followed Remus down the steps with Belle at her heels. Remus stopped suddenly, and said, "Take the key and close the door James; we don't want anyone to follow us."

"The key won't come out." James said. "But I'll close the door anyway." Lily heard the creaking of the door shutting. A loud click, and the fading light from the sunset vanished, and Lily was left with only the small glow of her wand light.

With the door closed, Lily suddenly became very aware of her surroundings. The air smelled stale and rotting… almost like it had been held still too long. The tunnel was also very humid. The more stairs that they headed down, the warmer it was. Lily found herself rolling up her sleeves, and wiping her forehead. Lily's heart was thudding in time with her steps. She found herself wishing that she were up in the common room with the other Gryffindors.

"Can't wait to climb back up these stairs with a huge crystal." Sirius muttered from behind. "Should be loads of fun, don't you think?"

"You don't know it'll be huge, Si." Belle told him softly.

But finally, the floor evened out, and Lily and her friends gathered at the base of the stairs. Lily licked her dry lips and whished that she had a glass of water. Down here, it felt like she was trapped in a sauna with the heat stuck on as high as it could go.

"Shall we continue?" James said, passing by everyone and taking the front.

"James, can't we take a break?" Peter groaned. "It's so hot down here…"

And just the once, Lily agreed with him. But James wouldn't hear of it.

"Look, the sooner we get back to the castle with that Stone the better. I don't know about the rest of you, but I sure don't want to meet up with Voldemort down here." He said. "So we'll move on."

They left the stone room, and soon reached a very skinny passage. Everyone had to shimmy through it one by one so they wouldn't get stuck. Sirius followed Lily into the passageway. But suddenly, Lily bumped into Belle.

"Sorry, Lily." Belle muttered. "Remus, why'd you stop?"

"There's a door here." James said from the front.

"Well hurry up and open it--ow! Si, you stood on my foot!" Lily groaned, as she tried to reach down and nurse it.

"I didn't mean to--Peter, stop pushing! James, open the God damn door! We don't have time for this!" Sirius shouted. Lily did her best to stand on her toes and see what was holding them up. James had the back of his hand on the door, and was talking to Remus in a hushed voice.

"Okay!" He said finally. He pushed the door open and everyone thankfully hurried into the larger room. Here, the floor was tiled in the shades of purple and green. It surprised Lily that the ground would be so well done in a secret chamber. The walls were still made of stone, yet there were pillars that scraped the ceiling. Floating candles dotted the air above them, so there was no need for her wand light. "_Nox."_ Lily said softly.

"That's strange." Remus muttered.

"What?" Lily asked him.

"Well, James felt heat on the other side of the door. We expected flames." He said. "But by the looks of this place, there's never been a fire here." Lily had to agree with him. This room was very peaceful. The air was suppressed and heavy, yet it was comfortably warm.

"So, where's the door?" Belle asked no one in particular. It was true-- no wall of the room held a doorway.

Lily, admiring the magnificently constructed ceilings, noticed something strange and very peculiar. "What's that?" She said, pointing up toward the far wall where, just about touching the ceiling was a tall, wooden _door_.

Their party rushed toward it, craning their necks to investigate it. It looked like an ordinary door, excepting the fact that it was positioned at least two feet away from the side of the room.

"Gimme a boost." James told Sirius. Sirius bent over, and laced his fingers together without question. James stepped on his hands, and reached up at the door. The doorknob was just out of his reach. "A little higher." He instructed. Sirius tried to push him up, but James lost his balance and came toppling to the stone-flanked floor.

"It's no use. It's too high." Peter grouched, sitting down with his back against the stone wall. "We'll never get up there. This was stupid."

"It was _not_ stupid." Lily snapped. "We have to move on, and we will, with or without your help."

"I didn't mean that I didn't want to help--" Peter said impulsively. "I only--"

"Shut up! Both of you!" James yelled. "We don't need that. Sirius, give me another boost. I just stepped off your hands that time."

So, Sirius offered James his hands again, and with Lily and Remus's steadying hands on his legs, James reached up for the handle once more. This time, though, his fingers made contact with the brass. He turned it, and the door swung outward just as he fell.

"Good work." James said, pushing his glasses up his nose, and pulling himself to his feet. "Remus, you go first, and Si and I'll help everyone else." He replied.

Soon, Remus was scooting himself through the doorway, and James was looking at Lily.

"Ready?" He asked her. She took a deep breath, and nodded. He took Lily's hand as she stepped on Sirius's intertwined fingers. As if balancing on one leg wasn't enough, she looked helplessly up to the door, where Remus was holding out his hand. Her free hand took his, and he, James, and Sirius pulled and pushed her upward. In moments, Lily was sitting on the floor of the secret passage grinning.

"That was easy enough." She said, smiling and backing out of the way. Remus grinned at her, and moved toward the entrance again, giving Lily a chance to look around.

The passage was small, yet not nearly as compact as the chamber two back. The only light came from the doorway and the floor was tender due to the coat of thick, gray, dust that smothered it. The walls too, seemed dusty, though she couldn't tell in the darkness. It looked as though no one had set foot in this passage in more than 100 years.

Momentarily, Peter was up in the room with them, and Lily exchanged a severe glance with him before stepping behind Remus. Next up was James, he didn't even look at Lily or Peter before peeking around the passage.

"Belle," Lily called down. "Aren't you coming?" She asked, confused that she wouldn't have come up before James.

"You know, I don't think so." She answered rather sheepishly. "Sirius and I are going to stay here, and keep watch for… _You-Know-Who."_ Lily noticed that the last three words tumbled out of her mouth with difficulty.

"A-alright." Lily stammered. Suddenly, she found herself wondering if she should stay behind too. Unwillingly, she took another step towards the door, making to hop down.

"No way." James whispered, taking hold of her upper arm. "You're staying." He commanded her softly. And for once, she didn't feel angry with James for ordering her around. Surprisingly, she felt a rush of gratitude for him stopping her. She wanted to help, and so Lily mustered up her courage and joined the boys, who were grouping together to discuss a plan.

"I think it's smart that they're staying behind." Remus said. "At least then we'll have a chance of an escape if--"

"I know." James said, cutting him off. It was almost as though he didn't want to hear what might happen, even though it was only a possibility.

"So, shall we go?" Lily asked them, eyes wide with excitement and nervousness.

They all nodded silently, and muttered _"Lumos"_ and walked forward into the dark corridor.


	33. A Very Close Call

_Hey dudes! What's up?! I don't have much to say… so yeah. Enjoy the chapter! R&R!_

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**Chapter 33**

**A Very Close Call**

Their muffled footsteps were the only sound. Lily didn't feel like there was anything to be said. Everything around them looked exactly the same, except for the slowly diminishing light from the hall that they were gradually moving away from.

The shadows on the walls bobbed mockingly with the wand light, up and down. "Go faster…" they seemed to tease. _But what's the point, really?_ Lily thought back at them. _We're no closer to the crystal than when we started._

But something inside Lily told her that that assumption was very wrong indeed. Was in only her imagination, or was the corridor getting hotter? Up ahead, James pushed his glasses up the arch of his nose, and rolled his sleeves up. So she wasn't imagining it.

"Remus, it's getting warmer again." Lily whispered. But why she was whispering, she couldn't really say.

"I noticed." He said slowly. Remus reached out for her hand, and gave it a supporting squeeze. "We'll be fine." He assured her.

"I know." She answered. But it was his hand in hers that gave her a boost of courage. Remus said things would be fine, and so they would be. Remus was never wrong. So why was there that feeling of doubt smothering her stomach like a pillow?

"Here's a fork in the passage." James informed their group. "Right or left?"

"Go right." Peter said automatically. But Lily pushed forward.

"We can't just _pick_ one." She said convincingly. "That won't get us anywhere. We should think it through."

"I agree with Lily." James said, his eyes sparkling with appreciation.

Lily approached the wall, and touched it, as though it held the answer. Immediately, her fingers were coated in gray dust. James moved toward the wall, and brushed away a layer of the filth to reveal a rough, rocky surface.

"How do we tell which way to go?" She asked him softly, hoping that Peter wouldn't overhear. But he was too busy sulking behind Remus to take any notice.

"I'm not sure exactly." James said, looking her right in the eye. But somehow, his gaze felt different tonight. Lily gulped, and looked away.

"Wait… Lily--your hair…" Remus said suddenly.

"What? What about my hair?" Said Lily nervously, as she reached up instinctively to flatten it.

"No, not that--it's _moving._" He said, taking a step closer. Lily exchanged a worried glance with James.

"The heat must be getting to you, pal." James said. "Lily's hair isn't--"

"Yes it is, James. Look--" Remus said. Lily looked at the two of them, very confused.

"Hey--you're right!" James said in epiphany.

"What? You two have gone mad!" Lily exclaimed.

"You don't understand, Lily." Remus said. "Your hair is being blown to the left. And can't you feel a bit of a breeze here? That means there's a draft coming from this chamber on the right… the way out?" He explained. Lily smiled in comprehension.

"Well? What are we waiting for then?" She exclaimed, grabbing James by the elbow and dragging him forward.

"Hold on, now!" James said, stopping her. "How do we know that the way out is the way to the next chamber?"

Peter mumbled something quietly from the corner.

"What's that, Pete?" James asked.

"I said we could split up." He said more clearly. "Two and two; me and James, Remus and Lily. Meet back here in a half hour."

Lily exchanged a pleading glance with Remus. Splitting up could prove to be dangerous, and it was a chance that Lily was not willing to take. James must have noticed the look on her face, for he said, "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Pete."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" He scoffed. He cast an unsympathetic glance Lily's way. "Oh. I see. You're _girlfriend_ doesn't like it, does she?"

"She's not my girlfriend." James said softly. Lily noticed through the wand-light that his face was flushed, but whether it was excitement, embarrassment, or just the heat, she couldn't be sure.

But Lily spoke up. "But I don't think it's a good idea. What if something were to happen? How would the other group know?"

"That's true." Said Remus. "But we could cover more ground if we did go separate ways." He looked tentatively from Lily to James and bit his lip to hold back a small smile. "Come on, Peter. Let's go this way." Remus chuckled, motioning him to follow him down the left corridor.

Lily watched their light gently fade down the passage. She took a deep breath and looked at James. The shadows of his wand fell across his face, and made him look more serious—determined and maybe even handsome. But she quickly pushed that thought aside; how could she even consider things like that when their lives could be at stake?

James cleared his throat, and jerked her out of her thoughts. Wordlessly, he started down the passage on the right. He took long, fast strides and Lily had to jog to catch up to him.

"What do you think is down here?" She asked earnestly.

"Hopefully the crystal so we can get the heck out of here." James shrugged.

Lily was slightly shocked. "But you have to admit it's exciting." She replied, trying to sound brave. "More fun than last year, at least."

James looked at her and started to laugh. "Right. Much more fun."

"You're laughing at me!" She exclaimed, but she found herself smiling, too.

"You're just funny." James said. "I mean, two minutes ago, you were scared out of your mind and considering going back, and now you want to stay down here."

Lily considered. "I don't know. Maybe it's just my way of whistling in the dark, you know? Convince myself I'm brave, then hopefully I will be." Why was she telling him this?

"Yeah, I get it." James nodded. "Nice scenery, don't you think?" He chuckled sarcastically, for the drab and grimy walls had not changed since the floating doorway.

They walked in silence for a moment, and Lily drifted into her thoughts. Surprisingly, she found that she wasn't thinking at all about what might lay ahead in this passage, but instead the person walking right next to her. Their arms were almost touching as they walked side by side. Was she imagining it, or was he glancing her way?

It was James who broke the silence. "Hm. Dead end." He said. So he hadn't been watching her. But it did feel slightly cooler down this passage.

"I guess that we were supposed to head left." Lily shrugged. She turned and took a step back towards the way they came, but James caught her arm.

"Lily, I--" But he didn't finish. But Lily made the mistake of looking into his captivating, deep blue eyes. She willed her eyes to look away, but she felt paralyzed standing this close to him. His hand still gently held her arm, while his other moved hesitantly to her waist. She found herself praying he would hold her-- kiss her-- anything.

Just when they both started to move uncertainly closer, there was a desperate yell from back down the corridor. At first they both froze, as though they really didn't want to leave the moment. But James stepped back, and motioned her to follow the call.

"JAMES! LILY! ANYONE!" It was Belle screaming out their names. Lily quickened her pace to a run, and James hurried after her. It didn't take long for them to reach the fork, and when Lily got there Belle was looking frantic.

"Oh-- Lily!" She gasped. "We heard voices, Lily! They're coming!"

"What's going on?" Remus puffed, appearing on the left corridor. "Where's Sirius?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Belle shouted, looking quickly over her shoulder, as though she heard something. "He boosted me up here to warn you, but he couldn't get up without help. We have to hurry and help him!" But they were off dashing down the corridor before she had even finished. As they ran, a light layer of dust flew up off the floor, and delicately fell on their robes. They reached the open door, and quickly looked down.

"Help!" Sirius called. His face was pale and sweat droplets were dotting his forehead. James flung himself onto his stomach, and held his hands out to his friend.

"Grab hold!" He called. "Quick, Si!"

Sirius jumped, and caught James's hands. James slowly started to slide, and Lily rapidly grabbed his feet. Remus didn't hesitate to help. Without Peter's help, they all tried to pull James back into the corridor, as he held fast to Sirius. When Sirius's head was in view, Remus offered him his hand, and he grabbed it. James's face, too, was speckled with a cold sweat as he and Remus pulled their comrade into the hall.

And, just as the door on the opposite side of the hall was flung open, Belle pulled theirs closed shut.

"Come on, guys." James said urgently, as he tried to brush the dust off his front. He led the way down the corridor, and along the left hand passage.


	34. The Marble Chamber

_Hi everybody! Happy Memorial Day weekend! Yay, no school Monday! I just got a haircut! I'm so happy—it looks too cute! Plus, Harry Potter opens next Friday!! WHEE!!_

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**Chapter 34**

**The Marble Chamber**

The further that they went along the left hand passage, then the warmer it seemed to get again. It was as though the cool chamber had never existed. Not only that, but steam seemed to be rising up from the floor and walls, making the hall feel even more like an oven than ever before.

The strange thing was, that the steam started to sting Lily's eyes, until she was close to tears. The heavy smell of smoldering wood reached Lily's nose and it was this that made her suspect if the steam that surrounded them was really smoke.

After what seemed like a long time, they reached a large, metal door. It was circular, which led Lily to believe that this was the right place. Not only that, but curling fumes were swooping out of it's corners, reaching up to the ceiling.

James approached the door with caution, and gently placed his hands on the large knob that was placed dead center.

"Ow!" He hollered, as he drew back his hands. "It's burning hot!" He carefully nursed his hands, as Remus and Lily stepped forward. Cautiously reaching forward, they placed the backs of their palms toward the door, as James had done earlier.

"It is hot." Lily agreed.

"No shit, Sherlock." Peter groaned.

"Well, do you have any ideas, Wormtail? All you've done so far is complain about how I've done things, and yet done nothing yourself!" Lily shouted.

"Lily!" Sirius reprimanded, grabbing her elbow. "You do realize that they'll hear you." He didn't even have to explain who 'they' were, because everyone grew tense, and Peter didn't say a word. Lily didn't even think that _she_ would have been the one scolding _Sirius_ a few months ago.

"_Alohamora,"_ Belle whispered, pointing her wand at the door, but to no avail. Lily looked at the wand, and it hit her.

"We have to work together, maybe? _Alohamora _on three. " She suggested. She counted down, and everyone said the spell in clear, precise, voices. Sure enough, the door made a loud creak, and opened inward. Six spells did what one alone could not.

"In we go, then." James muttered, looking nervously over his shoulder. Lily wondered if Voldemort had made it through the floating door yet. And suddenly, she wondered with a shiver if he was already in the dust coated halls, following them closely.

Lily stepped down into the small room, and her jaw instantly dropped. Everything was made of marble. From the three steps, to the ceiling, that sloped upward. Behind a line of pillars surrounding the room's perimeter, flames were crackling and dancing menacingly. But the thing about the room that confused Lily the most was the fact that there was no crystal to be seen. But there was one more door, just behind the bright red flames on the other side of the room.

"Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" Sirius joked, licking his finger, and touching his butt jokingly making a sizzling sound.

Ignoring his friend, James said, "So, are we supposed to run through the fire, or what?"

"Is there a spell to freeze flames?" Belle asked hopefully. Surely there was, and even though Lily was wracking her brain, nothing came to mind. Their party grew silent in thought.

Suddenly, in their stillness of thought, Lily could hear shouts and orders from down the hall. Her heart rate quickened until she thought that Voldemort would hear it from all the way down the corridor.

"Oh, God." Belle muttered under her breath. "He's coming."

James quickly made for the big metal door and, cringing, shoved it closed with all his might. "That could hold them back for awhile." He said confidently.

"You think they know what passage to go down?" Remus asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know." James said. Peter looked very pale.

"We should hide." He said, his voice quivering. "This isn't safe at all."

"Safe?" Sirius spat. "We knew this wasn't going to be _safe!"_

"Well, I'm not going to wait in this death-trap for the Dark Lord to get me." Peter said, as Lily watched his hands trembling like little leaves in the wind.

"Hiding is not what we came here for." James said so forcefully, that pitiful Wormtail jumped. "We came to help. Now let's find that crystal."

"A-and what if we d-do?" Peter stuttered. "We c-couldn't _leave._" He was right, after all, but no one was listening to him. Every ear was straining to listen to the distinct footsteps that were drawing nearer and nearer to the big, metal door.

Everything went on mute--the flames stopped their mischievous pop and crackle, and Lily's bated breath silenced--as the steps' sound only increased until it was pounding into Lily's brain. James grabbed her hand protectively, and led her away from the doorway, but she didn't even feel his clammy hand grasping hers. Belle took a stumbling step backward, her eyes focused on the circular door, but Lily didn't hear her feet on the marble.

All eyes were concentrating on the circular knob, as it started to turn in slow motion. Lily's heart pounded, and she closed her eyes for a moment, wishing and praying that she was dreaming, and that she could open her eyelids and be safe and sound in her four-poster bed.

But she opened her eyes, and there was the large metal door, and she could still see James holding her arm out of the corner of her eye. Lily didn't even realize that she hadn't been breathing, until the door slowly started to creep open.

Peter let out a small, indistinguishable cry and collapsed to the floor. Lily didn't see whether or not he fainted, and frankly, she didn't care. For, the only thing that Lily could see was those two, horrible, red eyes.


	35. Duncan's Death

_Sorry I haven't had a chance to post for a few days—hope you can forgive me! LOL! I've really had to focus on school and driving classes. Anyway!_

_Kylah and I have also been working on my next story, and we've got some good ideas pumping! We also really want to write a Harry Potter parody or something… we'll see. Maybe another Disney one, like our Aladdin story. Who knows?_

_Well, enough personal updates—no one cares anyway! Ha! On with Lily…_

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**Chapter 35**

**Duncan's Death**

A gasp escaped from Lily, as she jerked back into consciousness. All sound returned, and the Dark Lord Voldemort was grinning wickedly.

"So this is what Dumbledore sends me?" He chuckled to his three cloaked companions. "Get the others," He said confidently to one. "I think we've come to the right place." One of the Death Eaters left wordlessly, and Voldemort did and said nothing, except smile. Lily came to loathe that harsh, jagged grin--so self-assured, as though he were all knowing. The almost-yellow teeth seemed to be scornful, as though this wasn't even worth his time. Lily shivered, despite the heat of the chamber, and tightened her grip on her wand.

The Death Eater came back, flanked with four other shadowy figures, whose faces were undetectable, and it occurred to Lily that she didn't want to see their ugly appearances.

"_Expelliarmus!" _One Death Eater declared. Lily's wand was ripped from her hand. The Disarming Spell. They had no protection now.

"So." Voldemort said with a hint of excitement. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" James snapped back, though everyone knew perfectly well what Voldemort wanted.

"Don't be foolish, Potter." Voldemort said, his eyes flashing. Suddenly, Lily became very aware that she was still holding James's hand, and she quickly pulled away. "Now, where is it?"

Sirius and James exchanged an unreadable glance. "We don't know." Sirius said softly.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" Voldemort growled. He flipped his gaze to Sirius, and Lily immediately wished Sirius hadn't spoken.

"Just as we say, we don't know." Remus repeated. "It's not here."

"Not here?" Voldemort whispered menacingly. "Not here?" His eyes grazed over all of their faces, looking for traces of lies and deceit. As his slick eyes fell on Lily, she looked to the floor. "Evans?" He prompted, with a bite of anger. "Look at me." She didn't. She wouldn't.

"Look at me, Lily!" He shouted. Voldemort's yell bounced off the marble, echoing by the thousands.

"God damn it, Lily, look at the man." Sirius hissed. Reluctantly, she obeyed. But she looked past him out of fear and pure hate.

Voldemort stepped further into the room, putting out an arm to stop the Death Eaters from following. He seemed to think that he could handle this alone. He walked to close to Lily, that she could smell his repulsive breath, and the musty, sickly sent of his robes.

"Do you know where the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts is?" He asked her, his sallow skin glowing in the firelight.

"No." She said, surprisingly with no hint of alarm in her voice.

"You're lying." Voldemort whispered. Where was James's hand when she needed it? "Tell me, and I won't kill you and your friends."

At this, she looked up into his red eyes with a surge of anger and defiance. No one would kill her friends. "I don't know."

"You're still lying." Voldemort said. For a moment, an instant of shock and disbelief zipped over his features. "You have to be." He turned to glance over his shoulder at his Death Eaters. "This is the chamber, and you were here first…"

There was an anxious silence.

"Sire?" One of the Death Eaters said uncertainly. "I think that I can see a door there, Sire."

"What? Where?"

"There--" The man said. "Those flames are really quite thick, but I think I see something behind them... Sir."

Voldemort left Lily, and moved toward the darting blaze of light. "Yes…" He muttered faintly. "I see… interesting, very interesting."

Instantly, Lily knew Voldemort had won. He would know how to put out a stupid fire. And she was right. Voldemort rolled up his sleeves to reveal more pale skin.

"_Exoinferno!"_ He shouted, casting his wand toward the door. Lily sighed in disappointment and frustration, as water fizzed out of the tip of his wand.

"Impossible!" Voldemort yelled. Lily gaped at the flames. Nothing had changed. The fire was still hopping in front of the door, as much of an obstacle as before. Voldemort's water had done nothing.

In blind fury, Voldemort turned, and grabbed James's shirt. "Get through there!"

"Excuse me?!" James shouted at him. "I refuse to be fried to a crisp, so you can be sure that the fire will hurt _you_." He said bravely.

"I won't repeat myself, Potter. Get through those flames." Voldemort said, pulling James close to his face. He tossed James to the floor near the fire. "Unless you'd rather I kill you now."

"Even if I do get through," James said, a small twinkle in his eye. "What makes you so sure I'll come back and give you the Stone of Rialle?"

Voldemort stared. He hadn't considered this. "Duncan!" He yelled over his shoulder. A Death Eater stepped forward, shuddering noticeably. He reminded Lily of Peter.

"Y-yes, master?" The man said, voice splintering.

"Go through the flames to the door." Voldemort said. There was no sound of caring, or compassion in his voice. He spoke to Duncan with less affection that he did to James—if that was humanly possible.

"Wh-what about the boy—James? Don't you want _him_ dead?" Duncan asked, desperately trying to avoid the fate that had been served to him.

"Do you not wish to please your master?" Voldemort said, with fake surprise. It was like he expected the outburst to come from Duncan. "For, I'm sure, any of my _true _Death Eaters would love to be in your position. _You_ are the lucky one."

"Lucky, sire?" Duncan repeated, disbelief ringing above all else.

"Yes, Duncan, lucky. Now go. Your Lord is loosing patience. Or I will kill you, and get a devoted Death Eater to do it in your place."

"I-I'm devoted, sire!" Duncan said, nearly screaming. As he walked past her, Lily heard a sniff as though he were crying beneath his hood. Before even looking at the fire, Duncan paused at his master and bowed deeply and graciously. "I th-thank you, for this opportunity to s-serve you, My Lord."

"Hurry." Was Voldemort's reply.

But by this time, Duncan was in a trance. Lily watched as he advanced toward the taunting fire. Duncan stared into the flames; Lily could almost see the sweat of nerves and high temperatures dripping down his nose, and falling into the depths of his cloak. It happened in a matter of seconds: Duncan took his first step into the fire, and screamed. It pierced Lily to observe, as steam started to rise from his body as Duncan unwillingly walked all the way into the fire. Flames licked his body, causing more shrieks.

Then, without warning, there was a loud explosion of bright yellow light. Lily shielded her eyes, and when the light had vanished, Duncan was nowhere to be seen.

"Just as I thought." Voldemort replied, without a tinge of remorse or disappointment. "Magic fire. I always knew Dumbledore was no idiot."

Lily looked at James. His face was stern as he stared at the place where Duncan was last standing. _That could've been James…_ Lily thought fearfully.

"But how to get through it…" Voldemort drifted off into thought.

"How _dare _you!" Belle shouted. "You… horrifying…" Lily shot a silencing look across the room.

"Horrifying, am I?" Voldemort chuckled. "You little brat…" Although Lily had expected Belle to be lying on the floor dead by now, she wasn't. Voldemort seemed to find this intriguing. "Your name, please?" He asked her.

"Why in hell would I tell you?" She snarled.

"Feisty, this one." Voldemort laughed. His Death Eaters followed his lead tentatively. Lily watched as his red eyes bore into Belle. "And beautiful too." He added delicately, putting his long-fingered hand up to her cheek. Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily glared at him, itching to curse him into oblivion. _What nerve…_

"You touch her again, and I'll kill you." Sirius warned. He took an infuriated step forward, making the Death Eater's laugh increase prominently.

"Would you?" Voldemort said in shock and amusement. "As if you could. Especially with no wand…"

But Sirius wasn't quite finished. "You touch _any_ of my friends and I will kill you." He said. The tone of his voice scared Lily, and she knew somehow that he was not joking. She had no doubt that he would take on Voldemort and his whole band of Death Eaters if they hurt his friends in any way. 

Voldemort met Sirius's provoking stare. James was motioning Sirius to stop, but he didn't notice. Voldemort's eyes narrowed.

"Capture them." Voldemort said to his Death Eaters, still staring at Sirius with hatred.

Seconds later, Lily's arms were behind her, held by a large, cloaked man, and suddenly, she felt there would be no chance of escape now.


	36. Through the Flames

_Wow, cliffhangers are fun! I get all these threatening reviews, saying that if I don't update ASAP, people are going to kill them selves… but people never keep that kind of promise… -sigh-. J/k!_

_Anyway… thanks for your last few reviews, and I'm super happy to see new readers! Yay! Time to answer some of their questions, wouldn't you say?_

_Lady Friday, I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story! And reading it so fast!_

_AlForce Zero, thank you so much! That was such a sweet thing to say, and I'm so glad that you like what you're reading! But just to clarify some things: I'm not writing all this as I post. I wrote this story at least a year (or maybe even two) ago… before the fifth book came out. It would be cool to make Belle turn into a Squib, but since I had no idea she was a Squib, I made her a witch. Everything that you read in here was my guess at what might happen later (as you'll see in the prologue, when Lily and James visit the Order of the Phoenix.)_

_Kira, I LOVE YOU! YAY BIG SISTER!!_

_So, thanks to all of you, and don't forget to R&R!_

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**Chapter 36**

**Through the Flames**

"Let's see here…" Voldemort said, pacing nonchalantly around the prisoners. Lily had never been so angry in all her life… this man was insane. "How shall I get through that magic fire?" He almost seemed to be _enjoying_ this…

He looked at James again with a jagged grin on his face. Lily made a silent prayer that Voldemort wouldn't send James through.

"You know," Voldemort said to James. His voice was smooth and almost kind. "I remember the night your father died."

"You mean to say the night _you_ murdered him?" James corrected irritably.

"Well, however you want to put it." Voldemort waved this aside. "But I don't think I'll ever forget his last few moments."

"Why is that?" Sirius snapped. James had grown silent, and was looking at the floor.

"He gave me quite a laugh actually. He was sobbing and begging me not to hurt his sweet wife and precious James!" Voldemort snickered, walking over and holding James's face in his cold hands. James wrenched himself out of Voldemort's grip.

"Don't talk about my dad that way." He said, his body shaking in the Death Eater's grasp. He tried to move forward—probably to clobber Voldemort until he was dead--but the Death Eater's clasp was too strong. He gave up his fight. "_I hate you_." He said through clenched teeth.

"What a surprise." Voldemort rolled his eyes as the Death Eaters broke out into a chorus of laughter. He reached into his robes, and Lily drastically thought that he was going to shoot them, or something. But instead, he pulled out a small red bag. He pulled the drawstrings, and took out a handful of plum colored powder.

"We'll see how well this works." He murmured to himself. He threw the powder into the flames. There was the loud sound of a gunshot that made Lily jump. The flames let off a great deal of smoke, making everyone cough. But then, the flames reappeared, glowing purple.

"Toss James in." Voldemort said thoughtlessly.

"What?!" The Marauders shouted. But the Death Eater holding James started to move toward the fire slowly.

"I won't bring you the crystal!" James declared. "I'll smash it, and then kill myself!"

"You won't." Voldemort said, smiling. "And if you do, it's hardly a loss for me. I'll just kill your friends and go on my merry way."

"That crystal means everything to you, and you know it." Lily snarled, without even realizing that she had opened her mouth.

"Would you like to go with him?" Voldemort said to her. "Be my guest; put her in, too." Lily looked desperately from Belle to James.

"No--Leave Lily out of this." James protested, struggling to step towards Voldemort and away from the purple fire.

"She practically volunteered." Voldemort answered. "If it's not safe, we'll find another way." He told the Death Eaters that weren't holding Lily's friends back.

Lily's heart was threatening to fly out of her chest as the man clutching to her arms steered her toward the fire. She tried to fight back, but the heat was overwhelming. Closer… closer…

"Oh, and if you come back without my crystal," Voldemort called to them when they were inches from the fire. He grabbed Belle, who was closest. "I will execute each one of your little pals one by one so you can hear their screams from wherever you are. And believe you me, you both will be next in line."

"Three… two… one!" The man holding James counted tauntingly, and Lily was suddenly flung into the flames.

Silence pressed around her, and she immediately felt sick. The fire was overpowering; the heat and smoke were nauseating, and there seemed to be no escape. Violet glowing flames jabbed her body with hot stabs, and she tried to turn back, but there she couldn't see anything…

A solid block of purple was all that existed before her eyes… everywhere she turned was thick, consuming, amethyst smoke… _But you're not dead_, a small voice in the very back of her mind murmured. _Not yet, anyway._ She answered.

She took in a piercing breath--smoke. She tried to breathe again but fumes were all that filled her lungs. Coughing, she tried to take a step forward. She stumbled, and blinked the flames out of her eyes.

There, up only a little ways, was a hand extended into the fire. Lily wasn't sure whether this was coming from behind her or ahead, but she reached out and grabbed it.

The solid and reassuring hand pulled her out of the hellhole, and she collapsed to the marble floor, her chest gasping for oxygen. The sound of crackling fire pulsed into her ears.

James knelt wordlessly next to her, still holding her hand, and rubbing her back while she coughed ceaselessly. It took her a moment to realize that they were alone and on the other side of the fire. She looked behind her, and saw a thick wall of purple conflagration.

"Oh my God…" She murmured. "We escaped…"

"Hardly." James said softly. "The others are still back there." He removed his hand from her clench, and sat on the floor, looking back through the flames.

"What are we going to do, James?" Lily asked him in a whisper. She too looked at the fiery barrier and wondered if Belle, Sirius, Remus and Peter could see that they'd made it through all right.

"Get the Crystal, I guess." He answered her softly.

"And destroy it?" She inquired. "Can we do that?"

"I don't know Lily. I honestly didn't think this through this far." James said. But he stood up determinedly. "But we can't sit by and do nothing." He put out a hand to help her up, and she accepted it.

"So, we're just going to go in there?" Lily said doubtfully. "There could be something in there, you know, guarding it."

"Yeah." James said, as though this didn't really matter. He moved to the door, and placed a hand on the doorknob. He looked back at her. "You don't have to come…"

"No--I want to. I've come this far…" Lily said, taking a few steps closer. "Open it." She replied, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay." He turned the knob, and pushed forward.

Even more hot air whooshed out to meet them. The room was carved of stone, and was very steamy. Vapor rose in curling spirals off of the floor… and in the center of the room was a circle of fire about an arms length wide. Peeking at it, Lily could see the Stone of Rialle sitting on a small podium, drenched in the warm depths.

"There it is." She murmured. It was even more beautiful than the picture they had seen ages ago. After sitting in the heat, and having time to grow, it was roughly the size of a soccer ball, and just as round. It was the color of the deep-sea water, and it twinkled in the flickering light of the fire that surrounded it.

"How should we get it?" James asked Lily.

"Those could be magic flames like the ones outside." Lily pondered aloud. "Maybe we should get some of that purple powder from Voldemort."

"He's not going to give us any of it." James said. "It's not like he'd care if we burnt our hands off."

"That's true." Lily said, almost smiling. She watched James's face intently as he stared past the fire, at the crystal. Suddenly, she wondered if these would be her last few moments with James before Voldemort killed him… or killed her. Would she even see her sister and her brother-in-law ever again? And what about Amos?

She pushed this aside, and tried to focus on the task at hand. "What was that spell Voldemort used to try and put out the fires? _Exo_… _Exoinferno_ I think it was." She looked at James, but he didn't respond. "Do you want to try it?"

"I would." He said, "Only Voldemort took our wands."

James looked at the floor in defeat. "He's going to kill our friends." He whispered. "Then us." Lily didn't say anything at first, but just watched James.

"Don't talk like that, James. We'll escape, somehow." Lily said softly. Lily didn't think she sounded convincing. "I mean, the Ministry's probably looking for us right now."

"I guess so." James said quietly. "But what are we supposed to do? Maybe we should just give him the Crystal, so he'll leave us alone…"

"What are you saying?" Lily reprimanded. "We can't give him the Crystal! You'd better not be giving up on me, James Potter… You have to have hope."

"Lily, can't you see that there's no hope left?!" James shouted. Lily was taken aback. James was giving up.

"James…" Lily stuttered. He was always the one with his head up; the leader of the pack. He was always two steps ahead of the teachers, and never even thought about danger. And yet here he was… giving up?

"Honestly, Lily. I don't know what to do." James muttered. "He killed my father."

"James, that doesn't mean he's going to kill you too." She replied, moving over to his side. "We'll be okay."

"How can you expect me to believe that? We've reached a dead-end." James said to her. He was looking at her with those piercing blue eyes again. Only now they looked sad and depressed.

She gulped, and said, "Don't you see that this isn't about just our lives anymore? That Crystal holds the fate of the whole Wizarding community."

"Yeah, but…"

"No! James, if Voldemort gets that Stone, there won't be a life worth living." Lily said, quoting Professor Moody.

"I guess, but still…"

"Let's just focus on getting that Stone out of here." She said. A new surge of determination was pulsing through her. They could handle this… _She_ could handle this…

"Lily?"

"Yeah?" She said, turning to face him again.

"Thanks." James said, as a small smile crept over his face. "You're right. We have to do this. And if we die, it's for a good cause."

"Right." She said, smiling too. She walked back towards the fire. "We should figure this out soon, though."

"Okay." James replied, resolve gathering in his voice. "You want me to just try to grab it really fast?"

"Maybe that's not such a good idea…" Lily said uncertainly.

"Do you have a better plan?" He paused, and Lily didn't say anything. "That's what I thought." Cautiously, he kneeled as close to the fire as he could.

"Careful, Potter…" Lily whispered, and James quickly swished his arm through the fire.

"There's nothing there…" James muttered.

"You didn't burn, did you?" Lily asked him, kneeling next to him, and grabbing his arm.

"No--but Lily!" He said, taking his arm out of her grasp. "There's nothing there…"

"No burn?"

"Can you forget about the stupid burn?" James said irritably. "Listen to me, there's nothing there--there _is_ no fire."

"James, are you delirious?" Lily asked, putting her hand to his forehead.

"Damn it, Lily." James muttered. He abruptly stood up, and took Lily's shoulders, pulling her to her feet. "Put your hand in the fire and leave it there."

"What?! You _are _delirious!"                

But James seized her hand, and jammed it into the hopping flames. At first, Lily winced with fear, recalling the burning Duncan sizzling into yellow nothingness. But then, she didn't feel anything but hot air.

"I can't feel anything…"

"I told you. It's an illusion, or something." James said. "God, we were stupid."

"It's a _magical_ illusion, James. It was meant to make you feel stupid." Lily said. She stepped into the 'fire', and bent to pick up the Crystal. Its surface was smooth and warm. Lily lifted it with some difficulty and took a few steps when she decided it was a little too heavy for her.

"Help me." She told James, and he followed her into the 'flames'. With the two of them together, they could lift the heavy object easily. They stepped out of the 'fire' without trouble.

"Now what?" James asked, setting it on the stone floor.

"We bring it out." Lily answered him. "We can't just leave our friends with that monster."

"Right." James nodded in agreement. "We'll lift it on the count of three. One… two… three."

"Wait." Said Lily. "Let's hide it or something. We'll tell Voldemort it's too heavy to carry by ourselves." She and James placed the Crystal on the floor.

"You think we should try to trick him?"

"Yeah. Then we can get our friends free to help us, and we'll find a way out." Lily said, startled by her own logic.

"What if he sends in Death Eaters to get it?"

"I don't know, James! I hadn't thought that--"

"Wait!" James interrupted. "Were there flames near the door?"

"Yes, I think so." Lily said with a grin. "You think we could bring the Crystal out near the door and make a run for it?"

"Maybe--but I was thinking that we could hide them in the flames." James said. "One of us will have to keep the Death Eaters distracted, while the other hides the Crystal, and then runs to get help; the Crystal is too heavy, really, to carry alone that far, you see?"

"As long as those Death Eaters don't turn around or anything." Lily responded, her heart beating faster with excitement.

"Right… right…" James nodded. "This might actually work, Lily." He smiled mischievously. "Can you carry the Crystal by yourself?"

"I… uh, I think so." Lily said.

"Okay then." James replied. "Let's do it."


	37. The Fate of the Crystal

_I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in awhile—I've been so busy with finals just around the corner. I just got back from a costume-show for my local theater! It was so fun—I'm still dressed as a gondolier-ette! Yay!_

_Kira, I promised I'd put you in here, so here ya go! LOL!_

_Much love to all my reviewers!_

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**Chapter 37**

**The Fate of the Crystal**

James lifted the Crystal with slight difficulty, and moved toward the door. He smiled at her supportively. "If you want me to run, I will…" He said. "I just didn't want you to be here when Voldemort realizes we tricked him."

"How sweet of you." She chuckled. "No, I'll be fine. Really. God, James, don't look at me like that…" Lily groaned. She took the bulky Stone out of his hands, and moved toward the left.

"You're right." James nodded. "You'll do fine." He gave her a compassionate squeeze on the shoulder, and motioned for her to get moving.

Leaving her friend behind, Lily struggled with the Crystal. She moved as quickly as she could, all while trying not to make a sound.

From behind, Lily could hear James shouting out to the Death Eaters and their friends. "Help! Help! Somebody help!"

"What?! What is it, boy?!" Voldemort screeched.

"It's… it's Lily! She fell into the fire, and disappeared!" Lily was overjoyed that James had come up with a good excuse for her absence. Silently, she slipped the Stone of Rialle into the purple flames, and walked in after it. Coughing, she thought, _who would think to look for a crystal in the fire that they had just walked through? And you can hardly see through it, so it's perfect… I hope… _

"Please, help! She's gone!" James shouted again.

"Do you have the Crystal?" Voldemort asked him. Lily rolled her eyes.

"She's gone! Gone…" James carried on. "Oh, the misfortune!"

Peeking her head out, Lily could see that everyone but Remus had their eyes on James. She smiled and tiptoed out of the violet fire. When Remus spotted her, his eyes grew wide and he smiled and shook his head. Lily put her finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet, as she moved up the marble steps and into the dusty hallway. Ducking into the shadows, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She waited, listening for a moment…

"Do you have the Crystal or don't you?" Voldemort demanded again.

"You have to help her! I think she's dead!" James yelled.

"Get in there, and shut him up." Voldemort commanded to the idle Death Eaters. Lily knew that she had to start going.

Soundlessly, Lily crept down the corridor until she turned a corner--then she broke into a run. Her breath was short, but she didn't stop. She passed the fork, and continued straight ahead towards the floating door.

She suddenly stopped. She wouldn't be able to hop down from the door by herself without getting hurt. And then she would have trouble opening the door and climbing back up again. There had to be another way out of here…

Lily's temples throbbed from the combination of heat sickness and exhaustion. She tried to think of any place that she saw that could have been a door… or some way out…

Then it hit her: The dead end. There had been a reasonably strong breeze coming from that end of the passage. And hadn't Remus said that where there was wind, there was a way out? Maybe? _It's worth a shot…_

She swiftly turned around, and zipped back down the corridor and down the left fork. Dust flew up behind her, and stuck to her sweaty legs. She wiped perspiration off her forehead, and looked around for anything that could be a door.

But slowly, her mind drifted back to the last time she was down this way… she smiled and blushed slightly as she recalled the moment that she'd had with James. And now he was… in trouble.

She shook herself mentally. _Focus. Focus for James._

Her eyes scanned the walls and ceilings until she saw a long crack descending from the top of the corridor, all the way down to the grimy floor. She held her breath as she dug her fingers into the split, and pulled out. Slowly, it started to open, but the top seemed stuck. With a big yank, she the door came open with a crack that reminded Lily of ripping cardboard.

She gaped at the darkness inside for a second. How could she find her way out? But, thinking of all of her friends, trapped with Voldemort, she knew that it was her only option.

Taking a deep gulp of the musty air, she stepped into the dark passageway. She moved along swiftly, not stopping. She used her hands as her eyes, as they groped the walls, trying to chart a path. The air around her smelled stale and ancient as though it had been waiting for someone for too long. Inhaling was a little harder, but Lily knew that her friends were facing worse.

Her mind was racing as she went over her escape. It had seemed so easy… almost too easy. Lily had always thought that Voldemort was this brilliant evil mastermind… but really? He was pretty stupid. Why did he think that they would cooperate like that? Didn't he know that his prisoners would do anything to escape? How naïve was he?

Lily could feel her hands growing dirty and smothered in dust, and her feet hurt from hitting the stone floor. But this was nothing compared to the joy that she had when she saw a filter of light up ahead.

Grinning, she scrambled toward it. She reached out, and felt that it was a thick tapestry. Pushing it aside, she climbed out of the small passage and into the main corridors of Hogwarts School.

There were no teachers in sight, so she rushed towards Dumbledore's office. He wasn't outside, but five Ministry Wizards were walking swiftly down the opposite corridor, apparently they were patrolling the halls.

"Young lady!" One of them shouted to Lily.

"I'm looking for Headmaster Dumbledore…" Lily tried to explain.

"Get back to your dormitories--it is not safe for you to be out now." He said. Lily was offended that he spoke to her as though she were in the second year.

"Excuse me, _sir,_ but I'm the Head Girl and I need to speak to our Headmaster." She said, not caring if she sounded rude. She realized that she didn't have time for this, and made for the statue that marked Dumbledore's office and chambers.

"Please do not bother Dumbledore with your petty problems, my dear." Another man said, as the other Ministry members grabbed her arms and started to pull her away bodily from Dumbledore's office. "He is a very busy man, and your Mistress of Magic needs to speak to him."

"Let go of me!" Lily screamed, struggling. She tried to open the staircase by shouting "Acid pops!" But it did nothing.

"Is there a problem here?" It was Mad-Eye Moody.

"Professor!" Lily shouted to him.

"Let go of Miss Evans, please. I'm sure that Dumbledore told you not to frighten any of the students." Professor Moody said. The men let go of her, and she ran to Moody's side.

"The others are still back there…" She said to him quickly.

"Where's the crystal?"

"It's safe--I hid it before escaping." She explained. "But it's only a matter of time until Voldemort realizes what happened."

"Right." Moody said. "Dimitri!" He called to one of the Ministry Wizards. "I want seven of your best Aurors and Headmaster Dumbledore here as soon as possible." The man, Dimitri stared at him for a second. "Go!" Moody shouted, and Dimitri ran down the hall.

"You can go back to your common room now, Lily." Moody said gently. "And thank you so much."

"I want to help." Lily said, almost defiantly. "And I know a faster way to the Crystal."

"You do?" Mad-Eye said interestedly, as Dumbledore rushed toward them, flanked with five men clothed in a deep purple.

"Lead the way, Lily." Dumbledore told her with a small smile.

Wordlessly, Lily hurried down the corridors. The Aurors, Dumbledore, and Moody all followed close behind as she dashed back down the corridor. When she reached the drapery, she pulled it aside. The men were right behind her. She concentrated on her fingers retracing the route that she took before.

Finally, their party emerged at the dead end, that wasn't quite as 'dead' as Lily had originally thought. She led the way down the right-handed fork, and towards the marble room.

"Where is the Crystal, Potter?!" Lily heard Voldemort shouting. He sounded more than irritated. Lily silently prayed that her friends were all right.

"You can stay here." One of the men said softly.

"No." She answered rebelliously. She had to go on. She had to make sure that her friends were… still alive.

When they looked into the marble room, Lily's eyes fell immediately on James. He was on the ground in a defeated position and had cuts all over his face and arms, and he was clutching his side. Voldemort was holding Sirius tightly and had his wand pointed to Sirius's throat like a dagger, and the Marauders were struggling to get out of the Death Eater's grasp. But the Crystal was still safe.

"Let them go." Dumbledore said calmly, as he strode into the room. Lily looked back at him, and was surprised to see that all the light in his eyes was gone and he looked livid and almost scary.

"Dumbledore." Voldemort spat. But he let go of Sirius's cloak and he fell to the floor. "So nice of you to join us here."

"Let the rest of them go." The Headmaster said again, but this time drawing his wand and pointing it at the Dark Lord.

Voldemort thought for a moment. "If you tell me where to find the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts, I will free your students."

"No, you will free my students now." Dumbledore said to him, his teeth gritted. "And then these nice men shall escort you and your followers to Azkaban Prison."

"Oh please." Voldemort chuckled. "You think that you've won don't you? All of you! I bet you think that you've captured the infamous Lord Voldemort and now you'll all be heroes, don't you?" As he spoke these thoughtless words, he reached into his robe and pulled out a green velvet bag. "Let the brats go." He told his Death Eaters. They obeyed, and moved closer to their Dark Lord. "Oh, Dumbledore. If you actually think you've beaten me, you've got another thing coming. I'll be back—and you'll find that I'm not to be underestimated."

Without any warning, he took some of the powder in the sack and threw it into the fire, which immediately turned green. All the Death Eaters and Voldemort leaped into it before the Aurors could even step into the room.

"Scotland!" Voldemort shouted, and he and his cronies vanished in a swoop of fire and soot. The flames suddenly extinguished, and everyone was left staring at the place Voldemort had been last.

"He's gone…"

"To Scotland." One Auror said. "Let's move. We have to be to Scotland by tonight, or we'll lose that nut-job." All the Aurors left the corridor at a run.

Lily walked slowly into the room over to her friends. They didn't move at first, but just smiled meekly at each other. James struggled to get up, and Sirius helped him stand. Finally, they all hugged each other tightly, grateful to be alive. Peter was the only one who didn't join in the relieved embraces.

Dumbledore moved to the corner, where the flames had been. There, sitting on the marble-flanked floor, was the Stone of Rialle. The Headmaster lifted it with relative ease, and threw it to the floor.

"Sir!" James shouted, but it was too late. The Crystal had smashed to a thousand pieces and some hot liquid was filtering out of it. It sizzled and popped, like butter on a skillet, as it drained out on the floor. In moments, it fumed into steam and vanished.

"Why did you…?"

"It's so valuable…"

"He had to." Lily said. "Otherwise, Voldemort would have come back."

"That's right." Dumbledore said softly. "Now let's get back up to the school."


	38. BATs

_I can't believe there's only a few more chapters left! Yikes!_

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**Chapter 38**

**B.A.T.s**

When Dumbledore and Moody led them back up to the school, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon.

"I've called your families." Dumbledore told them. "And I'm sure that they'd like to see you. And then I'm willing to bet that the _Daily Prophet_ would like a word or two."

"Yes, Professor." Lily and her friends muttered.

Walking down the marble stairs, many Ministry Wizards and Witches watched them carefully and all were wearing smiles. Lily took a deep breath, and looked around at their suitcases piled high with spell books, and magical instruments. Dumbledore led them all the way outside, where the sun sparkled down on the dew-covered grass.

And there were her friends' families. For a moment, a disappointed Lily had almost thought that Petunia and Vernon might have shown up. But she didn't know any of them, except for Belle's parents who gave her a tight squeeze and told her how happy they were that she was all right.

Lily stepped away from the hugging and kissing relatives, and headed toward the lake. Everything was safe now--she was safe, her friends were safe and Hogwarts was safe. For now, at least. When the glimmering lake came into view, she saw someone else there. He was standing with his legs shoulder-width apart, and his hands behind his back. Lily knew only one person who could stand so still--

"Amos Diggory." She said with a grin. He abruptly turned around, and his face lit at the sight of her. He rushed over, and pulled her into a hug.

"God, I've been worried." He said. His voice sounded slightly deeper, and he definitely looked older with a goatee growing in, but his smile was exactly the same.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt at all?" Amos asked her.

"No, Diggory, I'm fine." She laughed. He held her at an arm's length, and looked her over.

"You look just how I remember you." He decided. "Only a little older, and a little sadder. And reasonably so. God, I've missed you." He said, pulling her into another hug.

"I can't see why the Ministry would assign you here…" Lily teased him, withdrawing from his clasp.

"Well… I wanted to see you." Amos replied. "Listen, there's something I've wanted to ask you."

"What?" Lily asked, a small lump forming in her throat.

"I know that you'd be going home to an empty house this summer, and I just thought that… you might want to come stay with me for awhile." Amos suggested. "I mean to say, until you know what you want to do, now that school will be over with."

Lily paused for a second. Live with Amos? After her encounter with James just the night before, the idea didn't sound quite as appealing as it would have two days ago.

"I'll have to think about it." She answered. "But right now, I think I just want to go home for awhile."

"If that's what you really want, Lily." Amos shrugged. He paused in thought. Apparently, this conversation wasn't going how he expected. "How about I put in a good word for you at the Ministry? Maybe you could get yourself a job there and…"

"That sounds really nice, Amos. But I just want a few weeks to get my life in order before I decide anything life changing. You understand, don't you?"

"Right, of course! Anything, Lily." Amos said with a smile. But it slowly faded, as he grew more serious. "I know that you think my intentions are to marry you, Lily, and I won't lie--I still love you. But I respect you, and your choices. So I'll go at your speed, and we'll just be friends. Good friends. Nothing more. That I swear to you."

"Thanks Amos. I really do appreciate it." She grinned.

"And I'm very glad that you're safe." He said, putting an arm around her as the two of them took a walk around the lake.

That morning was actually very pleasant. Even with the strange adventure of the night before, everything seemed calm and peaceful. If Lily didn't know better, she would have never thought that the biggest villain of the century had visited their school, and was now off to Scotland through a fireplace.

Lily and Amos spent the morning catching up, while her friends and their families talked over the events of the previous night. Peter was the only one who talked to the _Daily Prophet _that morning so when the paper arrived the next day, the accounts were pretty surprising.

"Everyone was really scared," Peter Petigrew, a student attending Hogwarts told the **Prophet,** "Well, except for me and James Potter." The six students were all returned to the school safe and sound, but how did they escape? "Well, James, Lily Evans, and I had been plotting how to get out of a tight spot for some time before the actual encounter. See, we decided that Lily should make a run for it, since chances are, he wouldn't keep such a close watch on the two girls. Well, our thoughts proved correct, and Lily successfully found help for us-- though we had the situation entirely under control."

"Under control, my ass!" Belle scoffed. "Jesus, he was likely to blow off Sirius's head if you hadn't come in with those Aurors, when you did!"

But Lily could only laugh at Peter's foul attempts to land in the spotlight. Unfortunately for him, few believed his gargantuan tale, and preferred listening to James and Sirius's turn of events.

Although, this laid-back time couldn't last forever. Classes started up a day later, and the castle was returned mostly to normal. But all the seventh years had to start preparing for their B.A.T.s, which were to take place within the next week. Test schedules were handed out, and Lily and Belle studied their hardest, and even convinced the Marauders to join them.

"Sirius! Will you please sit still? You're distracting me…" Lily groaned late Sunday night, as she and her friends studied for their History of Magic and Charms exams.

"Can't… keep… still…" Sirius muttered, as he sat on his hands, and made his face twitch. No one found his jokes amusing. "Oh, geeze, guys! It's just a test!"

"One that could decide your future, Si." Belle scolded. "Remus, I don't get how to pronounce this one…"

"Let me see it?" He said, pulling the book towards him."Oh, from the Fiddilus Charm, eh? Okay it's: _decisione da proteggere o a__denunci."_ He read.

"Damn, you're good. It's that… protegiry-ism one…"

"_Proteggere?_" Remus asked.

"Um, all right…"

"Okay, Lily," James said, shoving a history book to her. "Quiz me."

"All right, James. BC, what was so special about dragons?"

"Oh great…um, okay, around 20 BC wizards and witches tried to domesticate dragons to serve their household magical purposes, such as… dragon's scales in potions, dragon's milk for cooking, and dragon hide gloves?"

"Very nice. And Sirius?" Lily said, turning to Padfoot, who was trying to see how long of a pencil shaving he could get before it broke off.

"Hm?"

"Tell me, how did the Centaurs help win the War of Asalan?" Lily asked him. She bit her lip, hoping he would know the answer.

"Oh, that's easy: Even though they distrusted humans, they allowed wizards to ride on their backs to defeat the Goblins that were raiding through the Asalan Village. They learned to use weapons also, so it was like two soldiers in one. Am I right?" Sirius asked.

Lily scanned the page. "Exactly. Wow; I'm impressed, Si."

"See? I don't have to study! Ha ha!" He teased. "Now if you'll excuse me—I need my beauty sleep." He yawned dramatically, and headed up the boys' steps.

"We should all go to bed; it's almost midnight." James said, checking his watch. Everyone agreed, and packed up their books.

The tests were slow, and hard. The Professors had them working from the time class started, until the bell declared that time was up. In history, they had to answer a series of 100 written questions. Charms had them making things disappear and writing an essay on the Fiddilus Charm.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had them banishing unfriendly curses, which Lily and her friends did quite good at--at least, until it came to holding off the illegal Imperius Curse; only James did well on that. In Herbology, they had to watch over a Yelnats Fern, and keep it's water supply just right.

Care of Magical Creatures wasn't very hands-on, but a five-paragraph essay on what sorts of creatures you could expect to meet on a regular basis. Alchemy was pointless, as usual. But Lily and James were more than sure that they passed the 25-question test on crystals and how they are formed.

 In Transfiguration, McGonagall told them to transform an object back to its original state, which Lily had expected. In Astrology, they had to point out certain stars and planets in the night sky, by memory.

Finally, on Friday, they took their last two tests: Potions, and for Lily, Muggle Music—both pretty easy.

But now that the classes were finished, and the grades were being prepared, that meant that this was the last two days that Lily would ever spend at Hogwarts. The thought was terrible, now that it was actually upon her. Now, she wouldn't be able to play pranks on Filch, or even just hang out with her best friends. There were chances that she would see them, when school was out- but Lily couldn't be sure.

Sunday evening was the Graduation Feast, and Lily and her friends were bubbly and excited. They all wanted to make the most of their last few hours together before the first summer of their adult lives would begin.

After dinner was over, Dumbledore stood up to make his customary farewell speech to his school. "This has been a wonderful year." He began. "Though it has had it's rocky points, and it's frightening moments, the road has gone smooth in the end. I wish the best of luck to the leaving seventh years," He said, looking straight to Lily and James. "And good times to the continuing students. Though I fear that the times to come may not be as pleasant as we may hope, I pray that each one of you keeps faith in our Ministry and our beliefs. May you all aspire to be the great beings we have trained you to be, and may you not falter to the side of iniquity."


	39. A New Beginning

_Don't go away when this chapter is over! There's still more! LOL! It's called the EPILOUGE! The part you've all been waiting for: Will Lily and James get together? Will Lily survive Voldemort? Will she ever get away from her MEAN parents? What about Amos?_

_The questions go on and on…._

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**Chapter 39**

**A New Beginning**

The next morning, Lily awoke to a cloudless sky. It seemed like a fresh start--like the world wanted to start over. Lily had a hard time packing up her trunks, since she knew that she wouldn't need them again. She scooped up her cat, Adrienne, and kissed the top of her head before slipping her into her cage.

Lily and Belle made their way down to the Grand Hall in silence, with their arms linked together. They knew that they would see each other again, but it would never be quite the same…

James and the Marauders joined them for breakfast, and they joked and laughed as usual. Professor McGonagall came around the table bearing their test results just as they were finishing up.

"I'll be sending out your final grades along with your graduation diplomas this summer." She told them, before handing Lily her scores.

Lily Evans: Head Girl

Alchemy: B

Astrology: A

Care of Magical Creatures: A

Charms: A

Defense Against the Dark Arts: A

Herbology: A

History of Magic: A-

Muggle Music: A

Potions: B

Transfiguration: A

Lily was over the moon about her marks, but the one grade that she was by far the most proud of was from Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Not long after, Lily was getting ready to load onto the buggies to Hogsmeade Station with her friends, when she spotted Mad-Eye Moody.

"Come on, James." She said, pulling the sleeve of his robe. She led him over to the Professor.

"Professor," Lily said with a smile. "I just—we just wanted to thank you…"

"…For all the advice and help that you've given us this year. I don't know how we would have done down in those chambers with out it." James added.

Moody looked at them, and grinned, making his face look slightly lopsided. "Really, it was my pleasure. You both saved Hogwarts down there--I should really be the one thanking you."

"That's hardly necessary, sir." James said, nodding with respect.

"You both are very decent people." Moody replied. "And I don't say that often."

"Well, then thank you, Professor. And--"

"And there's no point in calling me a Professor." Moody interrupted.

"What? Why not?" Lily asked, surprised.

"I only did this year as a favor to Dumbledore. But now that the two things I was hired to protect are gone…" Moody smiled, his blue eye hopping from the back of his head to James. "There's no need for me to stay."

Lily nodded in understanding as McGonagall called for all students to report to the school's front steps.

"I'll see you both again, I hope." Mad-Eye replied. Lily and James said goodbye, and hurried out the door with their classmates.

Outside, the sun beamed down at them and welcomed them to summer. Lily turned as she heard Lucius calling James's name.

"So, Pot-head lives to see another day." He chuckled. James glared at him. "Pity I couldn't talk to you about it all sooner. So tell me, were you frightened?"

"Don't answer—there's no point." Lily hissed at James.

"Are you going to take that, O Mighty King of Gryffindor?" Lucius scoffed.

"Come on Lily, let's get out of here." James said. "This low-life isn't worth our time."

"Oh, that hurts, Potter. That hurts." Lucius taunted. "And I almost thought that you were man enough to face me…" He called after them, as James and Lily started to walk away. But James paused, and looked at Lily, pleadingly.

"Fine… Go ahead. School _is_ over."

With a huge grin of satisfaction, James strode full of purpose back over to Lucius and before Malfoy could say anything, James wound back his fist and punched Malfoy right in the jaw. He spun backwards and landed on the grass, whimpering. Sirius gave out a loud cheer, and James walked back over to Lily and his friends with a proud, uncontrollable smile on his face.

The buggies came, and brought them to the Hogsmeade train station. They boarded the Hogwarts Express, and started to chug back to platform 9 ¾.

Lily wheeled her cart alongside Belle. She laughed distantly at one of Sirius's comic stories. But when Lily saw Amos waiting for her near King's Cross's exit, Lily felt a distinct lump in her throat. It was time. Everything around her seemed to dissolve and the only things that mattered were the five people standing before her.

"Well," Lily said softly. She moved to Remus to hug him goodbye. "I'm really going to miss you, Remus." She whispered. 

"I'll write to you, Lily." Remus said tenderly. "I promise."

Lily pecked him on the cheek, and moved toward Sirius. He gave her a very tight squeeze. "Love you, Lily. Take care of yourself." He muttered, lifting her feet off the ground.

"You too, Si." Said Lily. She kissed him as well, and turned to James. She bit her lip. How should she say goodbye to the one she knew she would miss the most?

James offered her a handshake, and with a small laugh, she took it. But almost immediately pulled him into an embrace. "Write to me, all right?" James whispered.

"Of course." She answered him. She pulled away, and added with a meek laugh, "And stay out of trouble?"

She took a deep breath and looked at Peter. "Look," She began. "I want to put the past behind us, as of now." Lily declared. "If we meet up over the summer, or whenever, I don't want to be jumping down each other's throats. Deal?" She put out a hand.

Peter looked at it, considering. Everyone watched him intently. After a look at James, he reluctantly accepted. Lily beamed at him, and turned to Belle.

"I want to help you get settled back in your house, all right?" Belle said, hugging Lily close. It was as if Belle knew that no one would be home to welcome Lily back. "So I'll stop by your house tomorrow?"

"Okay." Lily said. "I'll see you then."

She pulled away, and looked at all of them, even though her eyes were fogging with tears. She tried to etch into her memory exactly how they all looked--the melancholy expressions on their faces, the Hogwarts robes they wore--so that she wouldn't forget in the times they were apart.

Slowly and unenthusiastically, Lily turned her cart around and started to walk towards Amos, who was giving her a ride home. He waved at her earnestly, with a huge smile. Somehow, Lily felt that her life was taking a new turn, and she just hoped that she was ready for it.


	40. Epilogue: Part 1: Lily Moves

_Hey guys! The long awaited epilogue!! You all are going to hate me after this posting—but don't worry, it's still not done! Muahahaha! –ahem- anyway. That was weird…_

_Yeah, so there's more after this; I'm going to post it in little chunks._

_Much love, peace easy!_

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**_Epilogue _**

A year later, when Lily was 18, she walked down the stairs in the same Muggle house that she had lived in while attending Hogwarts. She had kept true to her word, and was in contact with the Marauders and Belle occasionally came to visit.

Her parents were not in the best condition. Her mother was so overloaded on alcohol and drugs that she could no longer leave the house, and Lily had to take care of her. Her father spent his days at the office and his nights carousing with his friends, so Lily rarely saw him. Lily wanted to go out and see the world, or maybe even go back to school and study even more about magic. But now? That just didn't seem like an option.

The sun was setting out the window, and Lily was greeted by her mother's howls of hunger.

"I'm coming, mum." Lily called to her, as she entered the kitchen. She glanced at her mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Even Lily had to admit that she hadn't been… all there for the past few years, and it made her slightly uneasy. "We don't have much to eat, mum. How's a sandwich sound?"

"Mmgh." Her mother mumbled.

"Turkey it is, then." Lily said kindly. Just as she got out the bread to make her mother's dinner, she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it mum… don't get up." She added, even though her mother hadn't moved.

She pulled open the door and was surprised to see two police officers staring her in the face. "He-hello. How can I help you, officers?" She asked, flipping back her red hair nervously.

"Is this the Evans household?" The man on the right asked her.

"Yes. Yes it is. Why?" Lily asked him. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you related to Mark Evans?"

"Yes, he's my father." Lily answered, with a shaking voice. "Is he all right?"

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Miss Evans." The officer on the left said hesitantly. "But we found him driving while drunk…"

"He—what?"

"Sadly, when we tried to pull him over, he drove away." The man continued. "He hit another car and died."

Lily felt as though someone had just shot her in the stomach. "Excuse me?" She muttered. "I thought you said…"

"We're really very sorry." One said faintly. "If he had just pulled over…"

"The other person in the accident is in the hospital with a broken leg. I gave him your father's insurance number, so you'll be contacted soon." The other replied.

"Are you saying they might sue us?" Lily asked the officer breathlessly.

"It's a possibility." The one on the left said, shrugging, as though he didn't much care. "We're very sorry. Good evening." And with that, the two officers turned and started to walk down the driveway.

"Thank you." Lily said to their backs. Her heart was pounding. Her father was dead… who would bring in money? And the other family might sue them? And her father was _dead_…

Tears of fear and frustration started to slide down Lily's face. She closed the front door and moved brainlessly into the kitchen, where her mother still sat at the table.

"Mama?" Lily whispered. "It's daddy… he's dead. Mum, daddy's dead." Lily started to sob. She moved to the table, and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Ge'off me!" Lily's mother spat.

"Mum, he's dead." Lily cried. "Don't you _care?"_ Tears were rolling down Lily's face like rain, as her mother shoved Lily away.

"_Hate_ you." Her mother mumbled.

Lily stared at her. "Mum! Daddy's dead. He's gone."

"Get away from me!" Lily's mother shouted. Lily looked at her with disbelief. As she turned to flee from the room, her mother chucked a glass at her. Luckily her mother missed, since she started to break down into tears. Lily just ran up to her room as a new set of tears slopped down her own cheeks.

She collapsed on her bed, crying for her dead father, her insane mother, and herself. Lily felt so helplessly trapped. If the family sued her, she would have nothing to pay the debts with. She had to escape, somehow. She wiped teardrops out of her eyes, and looked at her desk. Sitting there were letters from her friends that she had yet to answer. They could help her. They could get her out of this house…

But who? James and his mother were going through a tough enough time as it was. With Remus's werewolf condition, staying with him might not be safe. Sirius had just moved out of his parents' house and was trying to get settled in his new house, so that wasn't an option. Belle would be glad to take Lily in, but the Figgs had helped Lily enough as it was.

She stood up, and looked at the envelopes on her desk. Glancing over the familiar and comforting letters from her friends, she noticed one from the person who could help her. Amos Diggory.

Hadn't he offered to give her help at any time? Well, now was when she needed help most of all. She had to leave this house, and Amos's doors were open. She sat down at her small table and pulled out a quill.

Dear Amos,

            Something terrible has happened. I won't tell you about it now. I'd rather see you, and tell you in person.

All I can say now is I need to get out of my parent's house. I can't stand this anymore. My mother hates me (she tells me daily) and my father… I just have to leave. As soon as possible.

I remember in seventh year you invited me to live with you as roommates. Is that offer still available? If so, I would love to move in by the end of the week.

Thank you so much, Amos.

Lily Evans

Without hesitation, Lily sealed the letter. She walked over to an old, rusting, birdcage where Amos's owl was resting after delivering his letter. She let the owl out, and attached the letter to its leg. "Take this to Amos." She told it. "Within the day, please." The owl hooted its response, and fluttered noiselessly out the open window.

When it was no longer in sight, Lily jotted a letter to Belle, explaining everything, and put a Muggle stamp on it. _I have to get an owl…_ Lily thought, as she walked her letter to the mailbox out front. Hopefully, the letter would be delivered successfully.

She headed back up to her room, avoiding the kitchen. Her mother's sobs could still be heard coming from the table. Lily quickly closed the door to her bedroom, and flopped down on the bed and slept.

Two days later, Amos's owl returned with his answer. Lily unfastened the envelope with shaking hands. Surely Amos wouldn't turn her down?

God, Lily!

            I thought that you'd never ask! You know that my house is your house, and you're always welcome here. You can move in anytime. I'll make up a bed for you in the guest room today.

You know that you can always come to me. I hope that I can be of some use. You can stay at my place as long as you need to- your welcome won't ever be worn out. It'll be nice to have some company around here.

This'll be great Lily, you'll see!

All My Love,

Amos Diggory

She let out a huge sigh of relief. Without any hesitation, she grabbed her carpetbag, and looked around her room. She grabbed her wand off the desk and shoved it into her pocket. She glanced in her closet and dresser and folded some clothes into her bag. Finally, after packing some books, money, and personal mementos--like her Gryffindor badge--she marched down the stairs.

"Mum!" She called. "I'm leaving. I'll be at Amos Diggory's--the number's on the kitchen counter." Her mother didn't hear her, and Lily knew that she wouldn't care. She probably wouldn't even notice Lily was gone until it was lunchtime and Lily didn't come with a tray of food. Lily was surprised to see that she honestly had no regrets about leaving her mother alone.

She slammed the front door behind her, and made a satisfying _clunk._ Lily felt free. She was an adult now, out in the world. This was going to be great.

Lily put out her wand arm to call the knight bus, and paid the driver with much satisfaction, knowing where she was headed. The ride itself was wild, but Lily still had a pleasant ride—other than the fact that the man behind her seemed very sick and was liable to vomit at any moment.

She arrived at Amos's place around one o'clock, and he welcomed her with open arms. With a huge smile, he hugged her, and helped her carry her one bag into the house.

"Well, this is it!" Amos said, showing Lily her room with some wild pride. "I hope you like it." He grinned. Looking around the room, Lily felt a strange sense of stiffness to it. It felt like a hotel room with its perfectly made bed, glowing cherry wood furniture, and picturesque view of the apartment owner swimming pool.

"It's wonderful." Lily said, sitting on the bed with a bounce. "I love it."

"Great!" Amos chuckled. "I'm calling out for Chinese. It should be here in about forty-five minutes. Make yourself at home—what's mine is yours now."

"Thanks so much, Amos." Said Lily. "I don't know how I'll repay you."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about anything like that." Amos encouraged her. "Everything's going to be great. Feel free to use the phone, the TV, whatever." He added, as he left Lily's room.

Lily sat on the bed staring around the room. How did she wind up here? Somehow, everything seemed like such a blur. But she was here, and she was safe and for the first time, happy. Things were going to turn out all right now.

Over the next few weeks, the Marauders mailed her constantly: Checking up on her, making sure that she was all right with Amos, saying that they were there for her, and offering to come visit at any time. Lily was comforted to know how much her friends really cared for her.

But as the weeks turned to months, the letters slowly got fewer and fewer. Soon, the only one writing was Belle.

"I haven't gotten any mail recently, have I, Amos?" Lily asked Amos one evening, when they were both just hanging around the house.

"Huh? Oh—no, I don't think so." Amos told her over the newspaper. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." She muttered, slightly disappointed. Amos continued to watch her over his paper. It made her slightly uneasy.

"You know something, Lily?" He asked her.

"Hm?"

"Here, we've been roommates for about a year now." Amos said. "And it's been working out great."

"Yeah, it really has." Lily agreed, sipping some coffee that she had just made. She moved to the chair next to him, and sat down with her legs curled beneath her. "And have I thanked you, recently, for letting me stay here? Because I really appreciate it…"

"I know, I know." Amos said, cutting her off. "But there's something I've been holding in since the day you moved in here."

Almost dreading what he was about to say, Lily watched him fold his paper, and look straight at her. "I love you, Lily. I really do."

Lily swallowed a gulp of coffee, and placed the cup on the table. "Amos, I thought we'd talked about this a long, long time ago…"

"Yeah, we did, but I just… I just can't stand it anymore, Lily." He said softly. "Every day, I see you. And I just want you more and more. I want to wake up by your side every morning, and see your beautiful face every night as I fall asleep… I just…" He put his hand around her neck, and pulled her toward him. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. Their lips met, and it felt… unpredictably fantastic. Though it was nothing like that kiss from Remus two years ago, it was just as satisfying. As she felt his fingers running through her hair, and his other hand gently resting on her waist, she felt as though the world was spinning ten times too slow… but it didn't matter. Lily was caught up in the moment and lost in Amos's kiss.

He pulled away, with a dazed and shocked look on his face. "You… you didn't pull away." He muttered.

"No… no I didn't." Lily said, taken aback. She must have looked just as stupid and crazy as he did.

"Lily…" Amos murmured, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. He opened it, and revealed a diamond ring. "Lily, will you marry me?"


	41. Epilogue: Part 2: James Confesses

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Lil?" Belle asked Lily a year later. Belle carefully took Lily's wedding dress off the hanger, and laid it over the back of the chair and turned to look at her best friend.

"Of course I do, Belle! I love Amos." Lily laughed, as she brushed her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. "You know, I think I'll wear my hair down…"

"Yeah. I think you should." Belle said, walking over to Lily. "But I mean, it's not too late to back out…"

"I don't want to back out, Belle." Lily said forcefully. "Do you think you could lace up the back of this under dress thingy? The lady at the dress store said I should wear it."

"It looks like a freakin' corset." Belle said, pulling the strings taught, and tying them in a knot. "Too tight?"

"No." Lily told her. "Have you heard from Remus, James, and Si?" She asked anxiously. "I invited them, but I never heard back." Lily replied as she pulled on her woolen sweater over her head for warmth.

"You invited them? When I talked to James about it, he said that he hadn't heard from you in over two years." Belle said, taking the brush from Lily and helping her re-brush her hair after her sweater mussed it up.

"Of course I invited them!" Lily said, scandalized.

"Well that's weird." Belle shrugged. "Well, I told them to come anyway. I knew that you'd want them here. They were all disappointed when you stopped writing to them."

"I didn't stop writing to them, Belle." Lily said, turning to look at her friend. "I gave the letters to Amos to mail, and the Marauders never wrote back."

"Maybe Amos got rid of the letters!" Belle declared.

"Oh, come on. What do you have against Amos?" Lily asked her touchily.

"Nothing!" She lied, placing Lily's brush on the table. "I just don't think he's a good match for you."

"Right." Lily giggled. There was a small, undecided knock on the dressing room door, and Lily moved to answer it.

"I'll get it. You sit." Belle said, pushing Lily into a chair. Belle opened the door, and Lily tried to unzip the back of the wedding dress that Belle had laid out.

"Well, isn't _this_ a surprise!" Belle exclaimed with a laugh. "Lily, it's James!"

Lily turned so fast her neck cracked, and she instantly felt her stomach drop. Standing in the doorway was a very uncomfortable looking James Potter. He gave her a weak grin, and she scrambled up to hug him.

"James! God, it's been too long!" She said, as a huge smile flooded her features. "Look at you. You're taller!" She said, holding him out to look at him more closely.

"Look at me? Look at you!" He said, his smile growing. "Your hair's darker now—not the flame-head I remember." An uncertain silence overtook them as they stared at each other. Lily felt her heart rise to her throat as their eyes locked.

"Oh my goodness." Belle said suddenly, sounding very fake. Lily missed her meaningful glance to James. "I appear to have left my purse in the car. I think I'll get it now."

"You Apparated here, Belle." Lily reminded her. "You don't have a car."

"I—oh. Well, uh… I left it at home, then. I'll be back. Just, er, get reacquainted… or something." With that, Belle disappeared with a loud _pop_.

"So how've you been, James?" Lily asked him, pulling him to a chair.

"I'd rather stand." He said, his eyes resting on Lily's wedding dress. "But, uh, I've been pretty good."

"Glad to hear it." Lily replied. Her heart was thudding fast in her chest. It reminded her of the feeling she got in seventh year whenever she looked directly in James's incisive eyes.

James cleared his throat once or twice and looked around the room. His shoulders were tense, his strong hands in a constant, skittering motion.

"Are you… okay, James?" Lily asked him, trying to get him to look at her again.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Why would I be? I mean—wouldn't. You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah. You just seem really jumpy." Lily said with an awkward smile.

James cleared his throat again and took a deep breath. "All right, Lily. Ever since… no… Remember when… wait. Okay. Damn it." He said, redness creeping up his neck.

Lily laughed at his stumbling. Somehow it was cute. "What are you talking about, James?"

"Nothing," James spluttered. "It's just… man, you're beautiful."

Lily looked away, "Thanks, but I think we've covered how much we've changed in the past three years…"

"No! No, Lily—you were always beautiful," James said, taking her hands in his own. They were warm, comforting, but trembling.

"_No_ I wasn't," Lily snickered, as color crept into her own face. Her heart was fluttering, but she couldn't understand why.

"Yes you were. You were the only one who could make me nervous," James smiled.

"Oh honestly, you don't have the capability of being nervous," Lily laughed.

But James suddenly had a strange look in his eyes that Lily couldn't remember him having before— which was odd, since she knew his eyes so well—every hazel speck, every crawling blue line.

"Lily, I…" James, for once in his life, seemed to be having a hard time formulating words. He dropped her hands. "I can't go on like this."

Lily suddenly had a horrible feeling in her stomach that seemed strangely welcome. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't even know how to put this." But he suddenly smiled, "I had this perfect last night."

"James—"

"No, please, just… just listen to me," he said, instantly very serious. James was staring into her eyes, but then quickly broke away and turned his back to her. "Okay," he took a deep breath and turned around to face her. "I had a huge crush on you all through school—even before I knew you personally. I could never bring myself to tell anyone—Remus knew, of course, but," he smiled shyly, "that's besides the point, isn't it? Anyway… I didn't hear from you for a long time and I—"

"I wrote to you!" Lily interjected, grabbing his arm. "I swear, I wrote to you all, all the time!"

But James shook his head, "It doesn't matter anymore; the point is I had to talk to you again. I… I tried to stop by when you were living with Amos, but Amos said you were never around. And, well," James tenderly put his hands on her shoulders, "after not seeing you for so long… I realized I couldn't live without you in my life."

Lily was silent. She suddenly found it hard to breathe. She knew now what was coming, and deep down, she wanted to hear him say it _so_ badly.

"I love you, Lily."

Lily closed her eyes, at first to bask in the glory of those simple four words. But then it hit her. It didn't matter. The words had come too late. And still her head was reeling: he loved her. All those years that she had been weak in the knees, he had felt the same.

"I know—I know it's crazy, but please," James said, his hands sliding off her shoulders. "Could you please just tell me I should go jump off my broom, or something? Just clear the air—tell me to go away. Say something… anything…"

It took Lily a few tries before she could finally form her mouth to ask, "Why are you telling me this? _Now?"_

"Because… well, it's the truth," James said, his eagerness falling. "And I know I couldn't live with myself if you never knew—if I knew that I'd never have the chance to tell you and… and to find out if you ever felt the way I do…"

"But, it's… it's too late, James," Lily said, twisting the engagement ring on her finger. "I'm getting married in an hour."

"I—I know that. I know all that," James looked down to the floor. "But you… you had to know. It's you—it always has been."

Lily was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. Her mind was churning with thoughts. Amos had asked her first. He had been forward about his feeling for her long ago. But then why was it that she never felt quite so alive with him as she did with James? Why was it that even now, after almost four years, James could make her insides squirm in delight in a way that Amos never could?

"What do you want me to say, James?" she begged him in a whisper. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," James murmured helplessly, watching the ring on her finger glint in the cold light.

"I love Amos," Lily stated, more trying to assure herself than convince James. "I'm getting… I'm _marrying_ him. There's nothing I can do now…"

"I know, but Lily…"

"No, James," Lily voice wavered dangerously close to tears. "I can't… I—I just can't…"

James straightened, trying to regain his dignity. "Okay. Fine. I… I understand." He looked disappointed, embarrassed, and even angry as he started to leave. It wasn't until his hand was resting on the doorknob that he stopped and turned to look back at a heartbroken Lily. "I'm going to walk out this door, and if you don't stop me, I'll sit quietly in the pew and watch you marry a man I know you don't love," he said heatedly, before adding bitterly, "Fair enough?"

The tears that had been clawing behind Lily's eyes finally broke loose and streamed down her face. Something melted behind James's eyes that were burning with humiliation and frustration. He took a tender and apologetic step toward her, but he seemed to think better of it, for he shook his head and brought his hand up to his eyes and left, slamming the door closed behind him. Lily sunk to the floor, leaning against an armchair, allowing the searing tears to tumble out of her eyes. The thought of stopping him slid through her mind again and again, until she forcefully told herself that Amos would never forgive her and that she must love Amos, or she wouldn't have accepted his proposal. And besides, Amos had always been there for her—he was safe.

A few minutes had passed before Belle Apparated back into the room. Lily's hand jumped to her eyes and she wiped her face clean of tears, but there was no disguising her red eyes.

"It's about to start raining!" Belle was saying, peering out the window, where dark clouds were driving in.

"It usually does in January," Lily said flatly, still fighting to collect herself. But as soon as Lily spoke, Belle turned to see her best friend looking more pitiful than she ever had before.

"What happened?" Belle asked, kneeling down beside Lily. "Didn't he come?"

"He's gone," Lily said quietly, not at all surprised to learn that Belle had known about James's confession all along.

"But didn't he tell you? Didn't James _ask_—?"

"He did," Lily sighed. "But I'm marrying Amos today. I… I love him too much to do that to him—to hurt him like that. I love him. That's all there is to say."

Belle watched Lily carefully and Lily had the strong impression that Belle was studying her. But after a moment she nodded and reached over to wipe away the tracks left by Lily's tears. Lily couldn't understand why this was so hard.

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and Lily rubbed her face in her sleeve. Amos pushed open the door and leaned in. He was already in his tuxedo.

"Hey, baby," he said with a smile, coming over to Lily to kiss her forehead. "You okay? You look like you've been crying."

"Pre-wedding jitters, that's all," Lily shrugged.

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding," Belle snapped, peering up at Amos with a glare.

"Right, well, I just came to let you know the ceremony would be starting in about fifteen minutes. You should finish getting dressed," Amos advised. He kissed Lily again and strode to the door. Before leaving he turned to ask, "You're going to wear your hair off your neck, aren't you?"

"She was going to wear it down," Belle said bitterly again.

"I don't care, Belle, I'll wear it up," Lily said, if only to silence the maid-of-honor.

"Great. See you… well, see you at the alter, huh?" Amos beamed excitedly, before leaving the room.

"I don't believe you," Lily said, elbowing Belle. "Talking to him that way—like he was—"

"—Like he wasn't the one you're supposed to be marrying?" Belle said seriously.

Lily felt her heart drop. "Please, Belle… don't."

"Fine; I tried," Belle shrugged.

"Today's my wedding day, Belle. Could we please just…"

"Yeah, of course," Belle put on a smile and helped Lily to her feet.

Belle picked up Lily's frilly dress off of the chair, while Lily pulled off her sweater. Belle helped Lily step into her dress and they looked in the mirror at Lily.

"Why did I let that woman at the store persuade me into buying this hideous dress?" Lily asked Belle, staring into her reflection.

"I think you look gorgeous, Lily," Belle said, squeezing Lily's shoulders. "You're amazing."

"Thanks, Belle," Lily replied, staring into her own bright green eyes. "I wish I could believe you."

Lily avoided the eyes of the crowd as she marched slowly down the aisle to the throbbing organ music. Somehow, she felt as though she couldn't face them after what James confessed to her. As though those three words could make her heart unworthy of Amos. But she shook herself out of it and kept moving. The high stained glass windows scraped the ceiling of the church and the floors were carpeted in a deep red. Outside, Lily could hear the wind beating up against the small church. And the further she walked, the closer Amos became. Lily let her thoughts drift to the life that awaited her after this ceremony.

Surely they would live in a big house, and Lily probably wouldn't even have to work; Amos made enough at his Ministry job to support both of them. But would she be happy? Would she wake up every morning, turn over to see his smiling face and feel a glow about her? Could she stand to share the _Prophet_ with him every evening over mug of coffee for the rest of her life? Would her day-to-day activities be that much more bearable because he was there to share them with her?

"We are here today to join Amos Diggory and Lily Evans together in holy and magical matrimony…" The priest began monotonously. For some reason, he reminded Lily of a living Professor Binns. She smiled to think of the ghostly teacher and the times that James had begged her for her notes, since she was the only one who had bothered to take them most times.

"Do you, Amos Diggory, take Lily Evans to be your lawfully wedded wife—to have and to hold, to care for in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked Amos expectantly.

"I do," Amos said instantly, glancing at Lily.

"And do you, Lily Evans, take Amos Diggory to be your lawfully wedded husband—to have and to hold, to care for in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" he asked Lily.

She was distracted by a creak from the pews. She looked out to the crowd of family and friends to see James walking back the aisle and out of the church. She bit her lip.

She turned back to look into Amos's eyes, and the only thing she could see was James's stimulating blue eyes looking back at her. Those times when she and James had laughed together… the intimate moments that they had shared… and the difficult and even scary events that they had faced side by side. And for the first time, marrying Amos just didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"I can't," Lily whispered.

"Excuse me?" Amos breathed.

"I'm sorry, Amos." Lily said quickly. She pulled the diamond band off her finger. "I can't go through with this."

"Lily…"

"No. You deserve better," Lily assured him. She placed the ring in Amos's hand, and folded his fingers around it. "I'm sorry."

And to the amazed silence of everyone in the church, Lily smiled, hiked up her skirts and rushed out of the chapel. Sirius jumped out of his seat and started to applaud for Lily. Remus quickly pulled Sirius back down, but Lily saw that he was wearing a delighted smile. Her heart was pounding against her chest as the guests all gaped after her. She pulled open the double doors with effort and saw James stick his wand arm into the air to call for the Knight Bus.

"James!" she called, allowing the church door to clunk closed. He looked over his shoulder, his glasses glinting, and saw Lily hurrying towards him. There was a loud _bang _and the Knight Bus appeared on the street corner, it's motor humming and clacking.

"Hold on a second, could you?" James asked the bus driver, as the doors squeaked open. Rain slowly started to sprinkle downward, but Lily hardly noticed. James turned to Lily. "Why aren't you…?"

"Believe it or not, you saved me back there," Lily interrupted. She looked into his inspiring blue eyes, and murmured, "Thank you."

"You comin'?" The bus driver called out impatiently, looking at the stormy clouds overhead uneasily.

"Just… just another minute," James told him, pulling Lily aside. His deep eyes were pouring into her as the rain began to fall harder and harder. James touched her arm. "What does this mean?" he begged.

Lily felt her emotions boiling up inside of her. There was so much she wanted to say—so many things that he had to know. So many times that she'd wanted to confess all the things she'd felt since she was sixteen. Tears began to fight against her poignant green eyes again, wanting desperately to explode. But even with all the eager words twirling around her brain, the only thing she could bring herself to say was, "It's you, James. It always has been."

James must have been holding his breath, for he exhaled into a beaming smile. Thick rain droplets speckled his glasses, but Lily could see that behind them his eyes were glittering. All he could manage to whisper was her name.

James put his hand behind Lily's head, and pulled her into the long-awaited kiss. The thunder that crashed passionately overhead wasn't thunder, but an approving stadium of angels; the lighting that forked through the clouds became fireworks that blasted before Lily's eyelids. Rain tumbled over her like buckets of water, ruining the monstrous wedding gown and washing away any remorseful thought about Amos. Having James's hands embracing her tightly was the most reassuring feeling in the world. He was everything she had been waiting for.


	42. Epilogue: Part 3: Lily Meets Mrs Potter

_The next posting! Whee! LOL!_

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"Oh my God, I'm nervous." Lily said to James as he opened her car door. Cool night air washed over Lily's face, as she clambered out of James's car. James rushed around to the back to grab their bags.

"You're going to be fine. My mom will love you!" He assured her, leading her up towards the large, Muggle, brick house. Rose bushes lined the walkway, and Lily bit her lip.

"I can't do this… let's just go back to our apartment, please?" Lily pleaded. "What if she hates me, James? I don't think I could handle that…" She tried to straighten her skirt, flatten her hair, and adjusted the sparkling engagement ring on her finger.

"Oh come on, ya big baby." James teased, pushing her up the stone walkway. Lily couldn't help but think that the house was huge for just one person—even if James had just moved out a little more than a year ago. James stopped at the door, dropped their bags, and knocked loudly. "You're going to be fine, Lily. Relax! It's only for three days." He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"You're right, I know." Lily sighed, rubbing James's back. The door opened sharply to reveal a small house elf.

"Madam! Master James has arrived, ma'am!" The elf cried. "It's nice to have you home again, James, sir. Please, come in, sir." James smiled at the elf, as a woman about Lily's size with black hair, and large blue eyes gently walked down the stairs before them with such poise that Lily could swear she was floating. Her nose looked like James's and her mouth was slightly pinched.

"Hello, James, darling." Mrs. Potter said as she walked towards her son. "That will be all, thank you." She said to the elf.

"Hi, mum." James said giving his mother a peck on the cheek. Lily put on a large smile. "This is Lily, my fiancé."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Potter." Lily said kindly, putting out her hand.

Mrs. Potter stared at her for a moment, looking Lily over. "Well, she's pretty." Mrs. Potter decided, following the house elf into the next room. Lily retracted her hand.

"Thank you!" Lily exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful and grateful. She looked at James uncertainly. He ushered her inside, and closed the door behind them. 

The floor of the entryway was hardwood, and a circular rug was placed just before the staircase that led to other floors. Mrs. Potter walked into the living room where the walls were wallpapered in floral designs. The house elf placed the tea tray on a quaint coffee table, bowed, and then left the room without saying a word.

"So." James's mother said, offering the two seats on a couch. "James tells me you went to school together." It didn't seem much like a question, but Lily tried to answer anyway.

"Yes—same year, same house." She replied, accepting the teacup James handed her.

"Right, and I told you that Lily was Head Girl?" James told his mother, as he added an ample amount of sugar to his tea.

"Yes." Mrs. Potter said, sipping her tea. Her eyes landed on Lily, and watched her every move. Silence overtook the three, and Lily continued to smile uncomfortably.

"So, um." Lily ventured uncertainly.

"James also tells me you were going to wed that Amos Diggory from the Ministry…" Mrs. Potter interrupted. "Why ever did you break the engagement?"

"Oh, well…" Lily wondered how much of the story James had told his mother. "I just realized that he wasn't right for me. We had different interests, and it just didn't seem right."

"I see." Mrs. Potter said softly. "And, I'm sure that you don't plan to break the engagement with my son?"

Lily was caught off guard, and choked on her tea. "No, of course I don't!" She exclaimed. "Leaving Amos was something that I had not intended on doing, until someone showed me how wrong marrying him would be—for both Amos and myself." She added, glancing at James with a small smile.

"How nice." Mrs. Potter said.

"So, mum, what's for dinner?" James asked, trying to change the subject. "Lily, wait till you taste mum's cooking—you'll just love it. Especially her pies!"

"Oh, well, I can't wait!" Lily said, flashing another smile at Mrs. Potter.

"We'll be having pasta, rolls, salad, and for dessert, pudding." Mrs. Potter replied stiffly.

"No pie, mum?" James said in surprise.

"No, dear." Mrs. Potter said. But she suddenly perked up, as she remembered something. "Oh, and James, dearest, I invited a guest to join us. An old friend of mine—and yours. Patricia Short; you remember?"

"Short?! Not that girl who followed me all summer when we lived on Ibbotson?" James groaned. Lily shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, James. She's a very nice witch. And she seems to be just right for you…" Mrs. Potter said convincingly, as she shot Lily a glare.

"Mrs. Potter? Could you excuse us for a moment?" Lily asked politely, as she grabbed James's arm and pulled him back into the entryway.

"I can't _believe_ her!" James muttered angrily. "I'm getting married in a little more than a year, and she _still_ won't give up!"

"James, I'm not exactly feeling comfortable over here!" Lily snapped. "I'm starting to think your mother hates me."

"What? No… she doesn't hate anyone." James replied.

"James, she _glared_ at me." Lily argued. "And now she's trying to set you up with a childhood friend…"

"Patricia Short is no friend of mine." James said tenderly. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Lily sighed, and James pulled her into a hug. "I just want your mum to like me…" Lily murmured.

"She will. Just give her some time." He said, stroking her hair. "Just for the record, my mum loves _everyone_."

"Excepting me." Lily laughed.

"Well, _I_ love you." James joked, ruffling her hair.

"Don't touch the hair…" Lily said, patting her hair down like a valley girl.

Just then, the doorbell rang. James pulled the door open, to reveal a woman in a black skirt and pearls. Her brown hair was curled back, and she smiled to reveal lots of white teeth.

"James?! Oh my goodness, just look at you Jimmy! My goodness!" The woman said flamboyantly, kissing Lily's fiancé on the cheek, and handing him her robes and handbag. "And where _is _your mother? Anna?!" She called up the stairs.

"She's in the living room." Lily said to the woman, faking a welcoming smile.

"And who is this charming girl, Jim?" The woman said, looking at James expectantly.

"This is my _fiancé, _Lily." James said, walking to Lily's side, and putting his arm around her symbolically.

"Oh! Well, it's nice to meet you, Lily. The name's Patricia." The woman said, with a fake smile rivaling Lily's. Mrs. Potter joined them in the entryway, with a hospitable grin.

"Patricia! Welcome, dear!" She exclaimed, folding Patricia in a warm hug. "How have you been, sweet?"

"Just fantastic, Anna. And yourself?" Patricia asked, walking arm and arm into the dining room with Mrs. Potter.

"Anna?" Lily questioned James angrily in a whisper.

"That's my mom's first name… honestly, I'm surprised she didn't tell you…" James said confusedly, leading Lily into the dining room.

Dinner went by slowly. Most of the talk was between Patricia and Mrs. Potter, and Lily was left to eat her food in unnerving silence. She tried to jump into the conversation more than once, but was quickly cut out, as it switched back to those old times at Ibbotson.

"You know, I'm so sorry Mrs. Potter. But I'm really not feeling well—I think I'll skip coffee and dessert." Lily said, feigning a headache. But after the evening's events, a headache would be quite welcome.

"What's that, Lily? Oh, all right." Mrs. Potter said, paying attention to Lily for the first time during dinner. "Your room is up the stairs, first door on the left."

"Thanks." Lily answered, leaving the table and going to the entryway. Lily grabbed her bag, and hurried up the stairs. She walked into the first room on the left hand side and was surprised at the straightforward design. There was one queen bed facing a window covered by lacy curtains, a mirror, and dresser. Also, Lily noticed a door that must have led to a bathroom. Sighing, Lily flicked on the light and changed into her nightclothes, before pulling out her book. Lily lay on her bed reading by lamplight until ten, when James came up.

"You little liar." James laughed when he opened the door. "Here I came to say goodnight, and you're not even asleep!"

"Sorry." Lily smiled. She scooted over in her bed to make room for James. He sat on the bed, and adjusted Lily's covers.

"What're you reading?" He asked, putting his arm around her to cuddle. Lily rested her head on his chest.

"Nothing special." She said, passing it to James to put on the nightstand. "You know, I'm really worried about your mother." She changed the subject.

"Lily…"

"No, seriously! I feel bad. Why doesn't she like me?" Lily asked him desperately. She looked up into his face, and he frowned.

"I honestly don't know." He said. "But we're here for two more days… I'm sure you'll connect before we leave."

"But what if we don't? I want her blessing…"

"You want me to talk to her tomorrow morning?" James offered. "I can try to see what's up, or something?"

"Oh, would you?" Lily said graciously. She tossed her book on the bedside table. "It's just so frustrating, you know? I mean, first my own mother hates me, and then yours does…"

"I'm sorry, Lil." James said, kissing Lily's forehead. "Things will turn out fine in the end, you'll see."

They grew silent in thought. Lily listened to James's steady, relaxing heartbeat and slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms.

The next morning, Lily awoke with sunbeams in her eyes. James was still lying next to her, with a protective arm around her waist. She kissed his cheek, and rolled out of the bed.

"Hm?" James muttered groggily.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Lily laughed.

"Morning? Already?" James yawned. He flung back the quilts and he was still dressed in yesterday's clothes. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table, and left Lily to change.

Lily came down to breakfast wearing that fake grin again. Mrs. Potter was seated at the kitchen table wearing a red bathrobe and reading the _Daily Prophet. _

"Morning." Lily said, sitting across from her soon to be mother-in-law.

"Feeling better, I presume?" Mrs. Potter said over the paper.

"Yes, very much, thank you." Lily said respectfully. She reached across the table to get at the box of cereal and the milk bottle.

"Proper ladies never reach." Mrs. Potter scolded, from behind the paper. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?"

"Gosh, I'm ever so sorry." Lily said. She hoped Mrs. Potter wouldn't catch the sarcasm. But she poured and ate her breakfast in silence. Lily only asked to see the front page of the _Prophet_, and nothing else was said.

"Anyone downstairs?!" Came a sudden yell from the kitchen. Lily looked around confusedly, for the voice did not sound like James's.

"Sirius?" Mrs. Potter called, as she got up from the table, and walked into the kitchen. Lily got up as well, and pushed open the door to see Sirius's head floating in the kitchen fire.

"Hello, Sirius, dear!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in ages; how's your mother?"

"Just fine, Mrs. P, thanks. Is James around?" Sirius said, craning his invisible neck to see if James was in the room. "Is that Lily over there?! Lily!"

"Hey Si!" Lily said from the doorway, and Mrs. Potter turned, not realizing Lily had followed her. "How's your new house?"

"That's what I'm calling for—I want you and James to come over. A little reunion, you know. Is he here?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah—yeah, I'll go get him." Lily nodded. She dashed out of the dining room, and up the stairs and into James's room.

"James, Sirius is in the fire. He wants to talk to you." Lily said, as James pulled on his shirt. He nodded, and took Lily's hand and they went downstairs together. Once in the kitchen, Lily saw that Mrs. Potter had moved their breakfasts into the kitchen so Sirius could 'eat' with them.

"James—come over today! The whole gang's coming." Sirius said when he saw his friend. Mrs. Potter got a pair of tongs from near the fireplace and put some toast in them.

"Mum, you don't mind if we go, do you?"

"No, of course not, darling." Mrs. Potter said, as she fed Sirius the buttered toast. "I want you to bring some of that fudge I made the other day over, also."

"Sure. We'll have to leave in about two hours, okay, Si?" James asked Sirius.

"Furrfing. I'll feeshoo then." Sirius answered with a very full mouth. He winked at Lily and disappeared with a pop.

"Okay. I'll just go upstairs and finish getting dressed." Lily said, happy to have an excuse to leave Mrs. Potter's company. She rushed up the stairs, and plopped down on her bed.

She was going to visit Sirius and Remus! She was so excited. She hadn't seen them in such a long time… sure, she'd written to them constantly, and talked to them through the floo network, as Sirius had done, but she hadn't actually been able to touch them.

After a little while, Lily heard a frustrated yell coming from downstairs. Confused, she opened her door and walked cautiously down the stairs.

"Mum, why can't you just get to know her?!" James said in exasperation. "She's fantastic, but you just don't give her a chance."

"I don't _need_ to know her, James." Mrs. Potter said snootily. "I've seen her type. She'll put her spell on you, and then leave you! Just like that sweet Diggory boy…"

"Lily didn't love Amos, mum. You don't even know the whole story… And Amos isn't sweet."

"That doesn't matter." Mrs. Potter spat. "Perhaps she doesn't love you either."

"Don't _even_…"

"Snap out of it, James." His mother replied softly. "Nobody's good enough for you."

"Oh, mum, please. Nobody's good enough for your horrible standards. You're just mad because I actually found someone who makes me happy, and that you can't have me all to yourself anymore." James said angrily. Lily smiled proudly. Finally, James saw the light.

"That's just stupid, dear. You know I only want you to be happy." Mrs. Potter said, caught off guard.

"I _am_ happy, mum. And you know, her dad died a few years back—she's more like you than you might think." He said gently. "We're going to Sirius's. We'll be home late; don't bother staying up." James stormed into the hall, where Lily was standing and looking worried. "Come on, Lil. Let's go."

Lily followed James out the door and to his car. He opened the door for her, and ran around to his side and revved up the car. "Can you believe her?" He said angrily, pulling out of the driveway.

"She loves you, James. And I think she's lonely in that big house all by herself." Lily said soothingly.

"Yeah, maybe. But that's no excuse for smothering me." James said, watching the rear-view mirror.

"No, it's not." Lily agreed. "But I think that giving her some time to cool off will help. But let's not worry about it, okay?"

"Yeah, all right." James nodded bitterly.

A while later, when they drove up Sirius's street, Lily was all smiles. James looked at her face and laughed.

"Well, this is it." He said, turning into the driveway. The house was a dark green with white trimmings, and to Lily, it looked exactly like the place Sirius would live. James led her up the cement walkway that weaved around the lawn, which was slightly browning. Excitedly, Lily rang the doorbell, and Sirius opened it almost immediately.

"Lily!" Sirius shouted, pulling her into a big hug. "You're cute as a button!"

"Right back at'cha." Lily giggled, as Sirius let go.

"Oh! You guys have to meet my baby!" He said, taking Lily's hand, and leading her out to the garage.

"Your _what?"_ A stunned Lily asked. James just laughed as Sirius flicked his wand, and the garage door folded up. And there, sitting in the middle of the garage, was a brand new, black motorcycle. "Oh my God! I thought you meant…"

"Isn't she _gorgeous?!"_ Sirius cooed, as he stroked it tenderly. "And it can fly! So much better than brooms! Thanks to James, I'll be flyin' this puppy all over…" He said dreamily.

"What do you mean, 'thanks to James?'" Lily asked, looking quizzically at him.

"Er, I kind of chipped in three-quarters of the galleons so he could buy it… He really wants it." James said, shrinking a little, under Lily's shocked stare.

"And I'll pay you back, Prongs, I pinky-swear." Sirius replied, not taking his eyes off the black machine.

He led them back inside and after a warm welcome from Remus, they sat down with Peter for drinks. They joked for hours, laughing about everything from Amos Diggory, to the old days at Hogwarts.

"So, how's little Arabella?" Sirius asked.

Lily smiled at him mischievously. "Why?"

"I'm just curious! What, is that a crime?"

"She's fine. I just saw her a few days ago, actually." Lily replied. "You know, she was asking about you, too." Lily bit back another smile.

"Well, well, well." Remus said in surprise. "Perhaps we'll have another couple on our hands, soon!"

"Right, Reme. Whatever you say." Sirius said, rolling his eyes, and smiling at James and Lily. "Honestly, I don't think this lot could _handle_ another couple." But everyone noticed that a little color had sprung up in his cheeks, making them smile gleefully.

Late that evening, Lily and James said goodbye to everyone as they loaded into the car to head back to Mrs. Potter's house. Waving, James pulled away from Sirius's home and onto the open road.

The moon was high in the clear sky, and the air was crisp and clean. Lily unrolled her window, and leaned against the frame with James's coat draped over her shoulders like a blanket. With the chill night air blowing on her face, Lily slowly drifted off to sleep.

_She was flying over huge trees, and lakes… when suddenly Mrs. Potter's house came into view. She soared through the front door, and into the living room. Someone clothed in black was standing in front of Mrs. Potter laughing. She screamed, and shouted, "He's not here! I swear he's not! Please leave! Please!" "She could be telling the truth, sire." One man said softly. "She's lying. I know she is. He's here… somewhere in this house. He's staying here with that Evans girl. It's their fault we had to hide for nearly four years, and I've had enough."_

"What the hell…?" James's voice broke into Lily's dream. She heard James's door slam shut. She shook herself awake, and felt a cold sweat on her forehead.

"What is it, honey?" Lily asked James woozily. She pushed open her door, and got out of the car and stood next to James.

High up in the sky, equal with the crescent moon, a humongous, smoky, green skull with a snake protruding from its mouth was floating over Mrs. Potter's house.

"Mum…" James whispered, as he grabbed Lily's hand and started to sprint up the walk.

The door was open, and hanging loose on its hinges. All the lights were out, and the house was dark. James reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, and Lily followed suit.

"Mum?!" "Mrs. Potter?!" James and Lily called into the darkness. James groped along the wall for the light switch.

"What the…?" James looked at where the light switch should be, but saw that it had been ripped off the wall. "_Lumos."_ He replied, and the tip of his wand lit up.

"Mum?" James called again. "Where are you?" His voice cracked slightly with fear.

Lily left his side, and moved into the kitchen. The table was overturned, there were broken plates littering the floor, and an abandoned platter of leftover pasta sat on the counter. Behind the table, Lily could make out a the body of a house elf sprawled out on the floor, and was about to scream for James, when he called her loudly from the living room.

"James?! The house elf is dead in the kitchen, James! We've got to get help…" Lily called back, running out of the trashed room, and towards James's voice. "What did you—oh my God…" Lily said, stunned. There, lying on the floor in front of them was Mrs. Potter.

James knelt down next to his mother, and felt for her pulse. Lily kneeled down next to him, and touched Mrs. Potter's cheek.

"She's ice-cold." Lily murmured, putting James's coat over his mother. Her wand was clutched in her hand, and her eyes were open wide with surprise.

"She's dead." James said faintly.

"Oh, James…" Lily whispered breathlessly, as tears started to form in her eyes. She threw her arms around James, and hugged him tightly.

"I'm calling the Ministry the Muggle way." James said suddenly. "I want you to drive to Belle's and I'll meet you there in the morning."

"James, I'm staying here." Lily argued. "I'm not going to leave you."

James thought for a moment, and looked at Lily. "All right; fine." He took her hand, and walked into the kitchen, and grabbed the phone off the wall. "The line is dead."

"I'll make a fire, and we can take floo powder." Lily offered.

"Okay, I'll help." James said, leading Lily back into the living room. He avoided looking at his mother's body, and put some firewood into the fireplace. Lily lit a fire with her wand. James picked up the jar that contained floo powder, and tossed some into the flames. They both stepped into it together, and James shouted the destination: "Ministry of Magic!" In a whirr of fire grates, Lily and James arrived in the Ministry fireplace that was at least twice as large as the one in the Potter household.

"I'm Arthur Weasley, can I help you?" A man dressed in an old robe asked them. He got up from his desk, and looked at them curiously, as the Ministry was closed for the evening.

"Yes, we need to speak to the Mistress of Magic." James told Weasley.

"She's left for the night." Weasley said, running his fingers uneasily through his bright red hair. "I might be one of the only people left here." He tried to chuckle.

"Please, sir." Lily said desperately. "My fiancé's mother and house elf have been murdered—we need someone at their house fast." James cringed slightly at the word 'murdered'.

"Oh my God! Do you have any idea who's behind it?"

"No."

"One moment. I'll see if I can find anyone…" Weasley said hurriedly, as he quickly dashed out of the room, and up some stairs. He came back a few moments later with Mad-Eye Moody.

"James? Lily?" Moody said with surprise. He smiled at the both of them. "What're you doing here?"

"It's my mum…" James said. "We need someone at her house immediately."

"Sure." Moody said, confused. He turned to the man who had helped them, "Arthur, come with me. The two of us will investigate James's house."

"Gladly, Moody." Weasley hurried out of the room again, and came back pulling on his robes, with his wand in his hand.

"Thank you…" James said to Weasley, as Moody tossed some floo powder into the grate again, shoved everyone inside, and said the destination.

With a whoosh, they arrived at Mrs. Potter's house.

"Wow." Moody muttered. He magically lit the house, and walked over to Mrs. Potter's body. "Look at this, Arthur…"

"Not a mark on her." Weasley said softly. "It musta been _Avada Kedavra." _

"That's what I'm thinking." Moody said. "We should notify Dumbledore…" He added in a low voice.

"Where's the other body?" Weasley asked. Lily pointed to the kitchen.

"You don't think it was Voldemort, do you?" James blurted.

Moody paused to look at him. "Very likely it was. Especially since I can see his Dark Mark out the window…" Moody replied pulling back the curtain. Then he turned to Lily and James. "You two can go to bed. Arthur and I can take it from here. And I'm very sorry, James."

"Thank you." James said, as he and Lily left the room. Lily moved up the stairs offhandedly. James put his arm around her comfortingly. How could this have happened? Was Voldemort back and looking for revenge?


	43. Epilogue: Part 4: The Potter's Wedding

_Hey! I'm so glad that I've got some new readers. That makes me super happy! LOL!_

_Guess what?! I'm finally going to get my permit activated! Yay! I'm so excited! LOL! Plus, school's over on Friday—YES!_

_I have yet to see Harry Potter—I feel like such a disgrace. _

_Much love, enjoy!_

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Less than a year later, Lily broke away from another of James's amazing kisses, and turned to see the applauding faces of their close friends. Lily tossed her wedding bouquet directly at Belle, who caught it with a smile. Lily picked up her long white skirts, and took James's arm as they walked back down the rose-covered aisle.

The setting sun sparkled down on their outdoor wedding, and flowers bloomed everywhere. _August is perfect,_ Lily thought with a smile, as her friends tossed rice and flower petals at their feet. The church's windows glinted in the dwindling light, and Lily was glad that she and James were married outside.

The two newlyweds led the way to a large gazebo, where the festivities and celebrations were to be held.

Everyone had attended. Even all their old teachers had showed up to wish Lily and James well. Though Petunia and Vernon had both received invitations, they had decided not to show up—but Lily didn't care much. She was perfectly happy just to have her friends around her on this exceptional day.

As everyone sat down for dinner, a waxing moon was appearing on the horizon, and Lily smiled up at it.

Sirius sat down on James's left side, and whispered to both of them, "I call Godfather!"

"What?"

"You know… first kid, I get Godfather. Thought I'd call it before Remus decided to…" Sirius said, with a wink at Lily. James smiled at his friend's stupidity.

"Speaking of Remus, where is he?" Lily asked Sirius, looking at the empty chair next to him.

"Oh, geeze; I don't know. I thought he was here during the ceremony." He said. "Maybe he went to the bathroom or something."

"Probably." Lily agreed.

And after a few toasts from Dumbledore, Sirius, Belle, and McGonagall, everyone began to eat. Afterwards, it was on to the dance floor. A wizard band played, while fairies twinkled overhead in the rafters. James held Lily close, and she soon felt that this was, by far, the best evening ever.

But it took hardly ten minutes for the night to be broken. The man came swiftly, flat out running to the party. He was panting when he entered the pergola.

"He's coming! You all have to leave!" He shouted wildly. The music stopped, and everyone turned to look at the insane man. Lily and James looked at him with immediate dislike. Any stranger to show up at their wedding, uninvited, was surely unwelcome.

There was a sudden explosion from about a block away. Bright green sparks flew up into the air and everyone at the wedding party looked up at them, confused. Every person looked at each other wildly.

Moments later, a large crowd of people clothed in black came marching down the street in lines. All had their wands drawn, and their hoods up—their faces masked with darkness. One of them fired green sparks at a willow tree nearby, and it quickly was consumed by crackling flames.

"The Dark Lord has arrived!" Another man declared.

Lily looked at James fearfully, and he held her protectively. A few of the Death Eaters pointed their wands at random guests, and levitated them high into the air, tormenting them and laughing. Lily and James's friends all screamed and started to flee, as the Death Eaters grabbed people, screaming for the bride and groom.

 Moody turned to face the crowd. "I suggest everyone leave these grounds immediately!" People listened to Moody immediately, and ran for their lives.

"Perhaps we'd better leave together." Dumbledore suggested.

James nodded, and put his hand in Lily's. She lifted the bottom of her dress, and motioned Dumbledore to lead the way. Belle and Sirius followed quickly.

Dumbledore brought them inside the church, where he magically lit a fireplace. Shouts and screams could be heard from outside, and Lily took in a shallow, trembling breath. Dumbledore pulled a pouch of floo powder out of his robes. "I really wish the both of you took Apparation lessons."

"It's on our to-do list." James snapped.

Dumbledore smiled at James's audaciousness, before tossing the powder into the billowing flames.

"Be careful, all right?" Belle told Lily, as they hugged each other tightly. "I don't think I could stand losing you both…"

"We will." Lily assured her, as she gave Sirius a kiss.

"Make sure Remus and Peter leave safely for us, will you?" James asked Sirius.

"Sure. We'll see you soon."

"Yeah…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and ushered Lily and James inside, and spoke the address of James and Lily's house. The whirling of the fire grates made Lily dizzy, and she held James's hand tightly and closed her eyes. When they emerged, they were at Lily and James's single floor apartment.

"Pack your things quickly." Dumbledore instructed. "It's apparent to me that Voldemort knows where you're staying. I think that you'd better be on the move for a while—for your safety. Stay at friend's houses, hotels, just not in the same place twice…" Dumbledore instructed them, as they sped into their room and jammed their important belongings into suitcases. "Bring only what you can carry…"

"We're _trying_, Albus." Lily groaned. "I wish we'd already packed for our honeymoon, James…"

"I think that you can kiss that plan goodbye." James said angrily. "There's no way we can travel the world with Voldemort on our tales."

"He's right, Lily." Dumbledore agreed. "Hurry now…" He glanced at the door, as though expecting someone to burst through.

"What about our friends?" James asked Dumbledore, as he ushered them back towards the fireplace with their suitcases in hand.

"I'll tell them where you're going."

"Where _are_ we going?"

"I would suggest someplace populated. Diagon Alley, perchance?" Dumbledore said, tossing floo powder into the fire, and pushing James and Lily inside.

"Diagon Alley?" James coughed. Suddenly, Dumbledore started to whoosh away, and different hearths started to zoom past. They landed with a jerk in the Leaky Cauldron Pub and Inn.

"Diagon Alley. Just where I want to spend my wedding night…" James muttered under his breath.

Lily looked at him with a smile. "And where _were_ you planning on spending it?"

"Not here." He laughed.

"Oh, James, you're so naughty." Lily teased.

They started to kiss, when the Innkeeper interrupted. "Excuse me--but are you staying for the night?" He asked them irritably.

Lily's face turned slightly red, and James approached the desk. "Um, yes." He put his hands in his tuxedo pockets, feeling for some money. He pulled Lily aside, with a sheepish smile to the Innkeeper. "I don't have any money with me…"

Lily went up to the desk, and smiled apologetically at the Innkeeper. "Listen, us coming here was… a terribly last minute decision. We haven't had a chance to visit Gringotts yet. Would it be all right if we paid you in the morning?"

The Innkeeper considered, and then slapped a key on the table. "But if you don't pay, I'll call the Ministry."

"That's fine, sir. We'll pay you tomorrow." James said.

"And I'm having someone stand at the end of your hall, so you don't run out at four in the morning!" The Innkeeper added grouchily. "Your room is number 11."

"Thank you very much, sir." Lily said, taking the key off the desk. James grabbed their bags, and they headed up the stairs together.

"Listen, Lily," James said in a whisper. "There's something you should know before we visit Gringotts tomorrow."

"And what's that? We're not broke, are we?" Lily asked him nervously.

"Um, no." James said, glancing behind him. "Actually we're pretty loaded."

"You're not serious!"

"See, my parents were really well-off, so since I'm their only son, they left it all to me. The Ministry paid my dad quite a lot of money—that's why my mom didn't work." James explained, with a small smile.

"Well that's good news!" Lily exclaimed happily, giving her husband a kiss.

"Ehem!" A man said behind them. "Tom sent me here to make sure you lot didn't jip us out of our money. I'm afraid that already you are disrupting our _paying_ customers."

"We will be paying… uh, John." James said, squinting at the nametag on the man's chest. "We were just unlocking our…" John grabbed the key out of Lily's hands and pushed open the door. He steered James and Lily into the room and slammed it in their faces.

"Goodnight, sir." John said severely through the door.


	44. Epilogue: Part 5: Harry's Born

_You make a good point, there, Dree. I could have made another story about Lily's life after Hogwarts, but I thought that it would keep more people awake if I kept it short. I mean, how many interesting things can happen once Hogwarts is over? It's tough competition, let me tell ya. But I thought that important highlights would suffice, and I'm so happy that you're enjoying them!_

_Virginia, it sounds totally cool! That's how I started my very first ever Harry Potter fic—by putting myself into the story. Too bad that it turned out shitty and I decided to never let it see the light of day… yeah. I'd love a little credit for them names… wink, wink! LOL! Oh, and where Remus went is a secret! Ha! But you can find out where he was in another story under this panname that I didn't write. That's your only hint, fools!!_

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About ten months later, Lily lay in the maternity ward at St. Mungo's Wizard Hospital, holding James's hand tightly. He brushed back her damp hair, and kissed her pale cheek. Though magic made the delivery less painful, it was still exhausting. They both watched the doctor's back anxiously, as he scrutinized their baby.

After what seemed like forever, Dr. Lee turned around with the nurse, holding their baby boy joyously. "He's perfect."

"You hear that, Lily? Perfect!" James exclaimed proudly, as Lee handed the child to Lily. She smiled with pleasure, as she looked down at the baby. His little green eyes blinked up at his parents, and Lily gently stroked his jet-black hair.

"He looks just like his dad." Lily said softly.

"He's beautiful…" James whispered.

Suddenly, Belle, Sirius, Remus, and Peter burst into the room, wearing green smocks that matched James's and the mediwizard's. They all gathered around the bed to see the newest addition to their lives. Carefully, James handed the child to Belle, who glowed with excitement.

"Oh, he's adorable!" She cooed, as she looked at Peter, who motioned for her to hand it to Sirius instead.

"Have any names, yet?" Sirius asked. "I think I like Sirius Junior…" He passed the baby to Remus as everyone laughed. "I'm serious!" Sirius argued, as Remus looked at the youngster thoughtfully.

"Harry." Remus said, looking up from the baby's smiling face.

"Harry…" Lily repeated, looking up at James. "Harry Potter…"

"You know, it has a nice ring to it." James agreed.

Dr. Lee looked at them, holding a birth certificate. "So? Harry Potter, then?"

Lily and James looked at each other in resolution. "Yes. Harry Potter."

"All right:" Dr. Lee replied, writing on the certificate. "Harry Potter, born July 31, 1980, at 9:36pm."

"You should still call him Sirius." Sirius groaned. "What's wrong with Sirius?"

"Do you want the short list, or the long?" Belle teased, as Remus passed Harry to James tenderly.

"Well, congratulations." Peter said, as he and their friends shuffled out of the room, waving goodbye with smiles almost as large as Lily and James's.

"Lily, you and Harry should stay here tonight for monitoring. James, will you be staying, as well?" Dr. Lee asked.

"Yeah." James nodded, and Lee left the room.

"We're parents, James." Lily whispered. She looked at baby Harry with an excited smile.

"I just can't believe it…" He said breathlessly. James held Harry close, and Lily had to admit he looked fatherly.

"You know, it'll be hard moving away from Voldemort with a baby." Lily told him, as she leaned her head against his leg.

"No harder than when you were pregnant." James reasoned, handing Harry to Lily's welcoming arms.

Lily sighed. She looked at their baby with comforting eyes. "I just—I don't want Harry to grow up on the move all the time." Lily said to James.

"I know. Neither do I."

"So, what will we do?" Lily asked. "Someone will tell Voldemort where we're staying…"

"But you know what's weird?" James said. "Did you notice that Dumbledore never told us we had to move when you were seven to nine months pregnant? I mean, it's not like Voldemort felt like being nice and giving us a break, so you could give birth to this little guy…"

"You know, you're right." Lily said, as Harry slowly started to fall asleep in her arms. She lowered her voice to a whisper, joking, "There must be some forgiving spy following us."

"That's not funny." James said in all seriousness. "There is a spy following us. And it's someone who cares about us enough to let us have our baby in peace."

"Okay, so say there is a Death Eater tracking us. Why should they care if I was having a baby? Wouldn't that only make it easier to kill me off?"

"That's what scares me." James said softly. "It must be someone we know, who would care. We've had enough encounters with Death Eaters to know that they have minds like jello, and only do what Voldemort tells them. Most of them wouldn't give a shit us, if they weren't Death Eaters. They only want us dead because their leader wants it."

"I guess so." Lily yawned, stroking Harry's hair.

Dr. Lee rapidly opened the door, carrying a pillow and blankets for James. "Lily, I'll have to take Harry to the baby wing, so we can monitor his breathing for the night." Reluctantly, Lily handed Dr. Lee her sleeping baby. "Drink this potion, Lily, and get some sleep." He said, placing a goblet of potion on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Doctor." James said, as Dr. Lee left the room, carrying Harry carefully. James shifted off of Lily's bed and into a chair next to it. He tried to arrange the blankets, so he could be comfortable, and Lily laughed meekly at his effort.

"So, what should we do about our Death Eater stalker?" She asked him, moving awkwardly to face him.

"I'm not sure." James answered.

"Hey—what about that group of Dumbledore's? Isn't it, like, the Order of the Phoenix, or something? Maybe they could help. Dumbledore did invite us to join them—remember? We just couldn't, since we were moving at the time. But all of our friends are involved. I'm sure we could come up with a plan with them. Don't you think so, James?" Lily said, excitedly.

"You know, maybe we should go to a few meetings. I bet that they might have some ideas. I mean, they're all about fighting Voldemort—that's what they do." James said. "But you should get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning." He suggested.

"You're right…" Lily yawned.

"Hey, drink your potion." James reminded her, handing her the goblet. Lily drank in it three gulps and instantly felt warm and tired. James reached out and held her hand, as she slowly drifted into sleep.

A few weeks later, Lily and James brought Harry up to Hogwarts for their fifth Order of the Phoenix meeting. Lily loved coming back to their old school and walking through the halls again, almost as much as she loved the people in the Order. They had been helping Lily and James find new places to hide from Voldemort for five weeks now.

"Hey! I didn't know you two were coming today… or three, my mistake!" Remus smiled, as he met up with them at the doors. He looked extra happy, and Lily couldn't quite put a finger on why. He took Harry out of James's arms, and led them up to Dumbledore's office.

Lily and James held hands, as they walked through the school. Hardly anything had changed. The marble staircase was still polished and shining, and the halls still had that magical feeling that was only present at Hogwarts.

Remus spoke the password for Dumbledore's magical staircase, and they all were about to hop on when--

"Wait!" Peter called, as he ran up after them. "Okay. Now we can go." He panted.

"Hey Peter. You didn't come last week." James said, clapping his friend on the back.

"Yeah. Got tied up." Peter replied.

"With what, Pete?" Lily laughed. "You're living with your mom."

When they emerged at the top, people were already seated in chairs around Dumbledore's desk.

"Ah, James and Lily!" Mundungus Fletcher, a new friend with a rather large mustache, exclaimed. He got up out of his squashy armchair to welcome them.

Lily took Harry back from Remus, and sat down near Dumbledore's desk. He was smiling at her and James, pleased to have them here.

Sirius and Belle stumbled in a little late, and took their seats quickly next to James, Lily, and Remus. They whispered hello, as Dumbledore looked out at the group with a smile.

"Hello, and welcome. I declare this meeting of The Order of the Phoenix underway. First order of business—Lily and James Potter are here to discuss their current living situation, due to Voldemort."

"How did that last house work out? It's still working out fine, right?" Fletcher asked, sounding contented.

"It was wonderful. But you see, we decided that we don't want to keep moving around anymore." Lily said. "Especially not with a newborn baby."

"Right," James agreed. "So we need your advice."

Dumbledore looked at the men and women in the group.

"Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with moving around. When I was a young girl, my parents moved us around all the time—and I turned out fine. You don't have anything to worry about." A woman named Tracy Egbert replied pompously.

"They've already tried moving around." Sirius said. "And I have to agree with them—it was stressful."

"Hm, this is difficult." A different woman murmured.

"Very." Another man agreed.

"Have you thought about the Fidelius Charm?" Arthur Weasley asked them. Both he and his wife, Molly, were members of the Order as well, and had six children, one close to Harry's age, twins at age three, a six-year-old boy, and two older boys, one of which was in his first year of Hogwarts.

"The Fidelius Charm? Of course! Lily, why didn't we think of that earlier?" James exclaimed happily. "That's it! Problem solved."

"Not quite, James." Dumbledore interrupted. "Are you sure that you and Lily want to go through that?"

James and Lily looked at each other. "Yes. It seems like the only logical option we have."

"All right, if that's what you want." Dumbledore said. "Who will you choose to be your Secret-Keeper?"

Lily looked at James.

"We don't know." James shrugged.

"I'll do it, James." Peter volunteered quickly.

"Any of us will." Dumbledore added.

At that moment, Harry started to cry. Right on cue, sweetie… Lily thought.

"Excuse us." Lily said apologetically, as she motioned for James to follow her outside. They quickly made their way down the spiral staircase, and stood outside Dumbledore's office.

"Well?" Lily prompted James, as she tried to silence Harry. "What should we do? Who should we pick?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, I trust all of them, it's just…" James drifted off, looking down the hall.

"Just what?" Lily asked him nervously.

"Well, these people have been telling us where to hide, and where to stay for about a month now. But still, Voldemort has found us. Everyone in the Order agrees that there is a spy following us… but what if the spy is sitting in that room, right now?" James proposed.

Lily gulped. "But you don't think that one of our friends… they would never…"

"Lily, people aren't always what they seem." James said in a whisper.

"But, who do we choose to be our Secret-Keeper? What if we picked the spy?" Lily asked edgily.

"I don't know." James said, shaking his head. Lily leaned up against James, with Harry in her arms. James put his arms around her and said, "But whomever we pick, we have to trust them with our lives."

"Right." Lily agreed. "Remus, Sirius, Peter and Belle are the ones that first come to mind. But then, Dumbledore volunteered as well."

"Peter would crack, when questioned." James offered.

"And Belle probably couldn't handle the responsibility." Lily laughed gently. "That leaves Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore."

"I have to say Sirius. I'd trust him with everything." James said.

"But could he handle everything?" Lily asked.

"He'd do anything for us, Lily." James told her. "Which he proved, while we were on the move."

"You're right, James." Lily approved. James hugged her tightly.

"We'll be okay, Lily. This will pass."

"I hope so." Lily sighed, holding Harry close. "I hope so."

They returned upstairs, and everyone stopped talking to watch them closely. Lily and James took their seats, and Dumbledore looked at them expectantly.

"Have you come to a decision?" He asked.

"Yeah." James nodded. "Sirius, we want you to Keep our secret for us."

"Really?" Sirius said, in disbelief. "You want me?" Lily smiled and nodded. "Wow, you guys! I promise—I won't let you down. Not ever. You'll see." He said excitedly.

"All right then. Tomorrow, I want you three here to perform the charm. I'll get Professor Snape to make the potion and—"

"Professor Snape? You mean, Siverus Snape works here now? As a Potions teacher?!" James said in surprise.

"Yes. Don't be so shocked." Dumbledore chuckled. "I'll have him brew it up tonight."

"But, sir?" Lily began tentatively. "Isn't Snape sort of… into the Dark Arts, if you know what I mean."

"Indeed, Siverus was. But now, he's sided with the Ministry, and helping me and the Mistress." Dumbledore said. "I trust him as much as anyone in this room." He added, glancing at Peter, who shifted under his gaze.

James, Lily, and Harry left by floo powder, and arrived at their small hotel room.

"Only one more night of this." James said to Lily, as she placed Harry in his foldable crib.

"Thank God." Lily breathed, leaning down to kiss Harry goodnight.

The next morning, after performing the Fidelius Charm, Lily, James, and Harry arrived at their new home. It was a two-story house in a wizarding neighborhood, called Godric's Hollow.

"Well, here it is." James replied, pulling open the front door. Lily looked around, scrutinizing their new house. There was a large staircase across from the front door leading up to the second story. Small steps led down to the furnished living room, and through that, the kitchen. To the right was the dining room, with a rather large fireplace behind the table. James quickly set up Harry's portable crib in the living room, and Lily placed him in it, with a small kiss.

She moved away from the sleeping baby, and flopped onto the couch. James followed her, and sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa, while watching the crib carefully.

"I don't know what to think about all this, James." Lily said softly. "I mean, one minute, we're moving from place to place—and the next… It's like we have nothing to worry about."

"We still have to worry about it." James argued. "It's just not a top priority anymore."

"Right." Lily groaned. She paused, and sighed. "I'm just so scared, you know? I mean, what if it really is one of our close friends spying on us?"

James reached up, and cupped Lily's chin in his hands. "You have nothing to worry about." He repeated, before pushing her cheeks together so she resembled a fish. "I'm sure it's nothing personal." He laughed. Lily grabbed his hand and playfully blew a raspberry into it, before kissing it. In response, James grabbed her nose painfully, and Lily groaned nasally, trying to remove his hand.

"Ouch." She chuckled, rubbing her now red nose.

"Sorry." He laughed, wiping his hand on Lily's pants.

"Eh, you punk." Lily muttered, smacking James's messy head lovingly, and moving into the kitchen to make lunch.


	45. Epilogue: Part 6: The End of the Beginni...

_Okay, since this is the LAST posting, I want to make some thank yous. If you don't care, then go ahead and skip this. LOL!_

_First off, thank you to all of my readers. You all really don't get enough credit around here, and I just think that you all rock. Seriously, you rock my socks. You have made posting this story such a wonderful experience, and you've made me want to continue posting other stories… as soon as I get a good idea, that is. Ha! But honestly, you have no idea how much I appreciate everything you've said, and I hope that you've enjoyed this story._

_Kira, you're my sister and I love you! Thank you for being SO supportive and encouraging me to tell people about my passion for writing. I am so happy that you like my stories as much as you do—and even if you don't really, thanks for pretending that you do! LOL! I love how energetic you are, and I love how strong-minded you are. You're always there for me, and I honestly don't know whom I would look up to with out you. You've given me lots of confidence and you're the most remarkable and talented sophomore I've ever met. You're my hero. _

_Last, but never ever least, is my partner in crime, Kylah. _

_Kylah, you're the coolest person I know, you really are. Thank you for being the amazing friend that you are. You're beautiful, and I cherish the 15 years that I've known you. You are so awesome. You have the most creative brain I have ever seen, and I love your kooky ideas, and how utterly brilliant you are. You're the most wonderful editor, and you're so dependable and devoted with everything that you do. Thank you for always being there for me, thank you for giving me someone to gush over Harry to, thank you for coming to every one of my plays, thank you for watching Disney movies with me every weekend, but most importantly: thank you for being the best friend I'll ever have._

_Okay, enough! On with Lily! I'm getting all teary eyed……

* * *

_

It was a cold and wet Halloween morning, when Sirius came rushing up the Potter's steps. He didn't bother to knock, which wasn't new to Lily or James.

"Anyone home?" He called.

"Yeah, Si! In the kitchen!" Lily called. She had been trying to get Harry to eat baby food, but was definitely losing. "You may have won this time, but I'll come out victorious in the end…" Lily teased the one-year-old Harry, dropping the spoon in the sink and pulling him out of his highchair. He giggled, and Lily spun him around, before bringing him out into the entryway to greet Sirius.

"Happy Halloween." Lily smiled, while Sirius gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "How've you been? You haven't come by recently…"

"Yeah, been talking to Dumbledore." He said, though Lily felt Sirius was looking preoccupied. "James home?"

"He's upstairswhy?"

"I wanted to talk to you both about something." Sirius said anxiously.

"Okay, sure, Si." Lily said, before moving to the bottom of the stairs. "James! Come down hereSirius needs to talk to you!"

James came sliding down the stair rail quickly. He hopped off the rail, and scooped Harry out of Lily's arms, and tossed him in the air playfully and caught him safely in his arms. "Hey there, Padfoot. What's new?"

"James, don't do that in the house—you're worse than Harry." Lily scolded while laughing as she followed her husband and Sirius into the living room.

"That's only because he can't walk yet. Just wait 'til we get you a broomstick, Harry—this place will be dust when you're through with it, right Lil?" James said proudly.

"Great." Lily groaned, though she personally couldn't wait to see her son on a broom.

"Could you both sit down?" Sirius interrupted them. James, Lily, and a gurgling Harry obliged. Sirius took a settling breath before saying, "Look, I've been thinking about being your Secret-Keeper for some time now, and I'm not sure it was so smart."

"What are you saying, Si?" Lily argued. "We've been fine here for a long time now."

"That's not what I mean." He said, as he scratched his head. "See, I thought, what if Voldemort decided to strike at you both again? I mean—you've seen the papers, haven't you?"

"How can we miss them?" Lily sighed, while James stared.

"So, you want to back out?" James muttered, bouncing Harry on his knee and trying not to look at his friend.

"No! No way!" Sirius said quickly. "But I thought that if Voldemort did come knocking, he'd know where to go to find you. I mean, he's getting stronger again…"

"So, you mean, that you're afraid?" James interpreted.

"No! James, don't be thick." Sirius rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I'm just saying, that he would know to come to me first. No questions asked." He sighed in frustration. It seemed to Lily that this conversation was not going the way he planned. "But what if we turned the tables on him? Appointed a Secret-Keeper he would never, in a million years, suspect?"

"You don't mean Dumbledore?"

"Not Dumbledore—Peter." Sirius said, with a triumphant smile. "I mean, come _on._ We all know the guy's a wimp, so who would expect that the Potters would make _him_ their Secret-Keeper, over James's best friend since Hogwarts?"

"You're flattering yourself—But you make a good point…" James nodded. "What do you think Lily?"

"I don't know. I mean, things are going fine for now." Lily said hesitantly. "Why mess with a good thing?"

"Why not make a good thing better?" James implored.

"Well, that's true…"

"Oh, I get it." Sirius said with a smile. "You don't trust ol' Wormtail, do you?"

"Not especially." Lily said. "But I do trust both of your judgments."

"I talked to Dumbledore already. He was a little reluctant, but he said we could redo the charm today if you both thought it was best." Sirius said hopefully.

"Can't. Harry and I have a doctor's appointment." Lily said. "But we both don't have to be there."

"I could go with Si to do the Charm, if you want." James agreed.

"All right." Lily said, with a nod.

"We should leave now." Sirius told James, checking his watch. "I promised Dumbledore I'd be back at Hogwarts in twenty minutes, with or without you."

"See you soon, Lil." James replied, kissing his wife. "Love you."

"Love you, too. And be careful, you two." Lily said, taking Harry back from James. "And stop by Gringotts on the way home, if you can." James gave a wave of consent, and left with Sirius, closing the door behind him.

Lily waited anxiously for James to get home, later that night. The sun was just starting to set, though it was hard to tell through the gray-clouded gloom.

But finally, James opened the door and placed a bag of Gringotts gold on the table.

"How did it go at Hogwarts?" Lily asked him, after a brief hello.

"Just fine. Peter seemed very honored that we chose him over Remus and Dumbledore." James shrugged. "I dunno. He seemed especially eager. How was the doctor's?" He asked her.

"Fantastic." Lily said with a grin.

"And why is that?" James asked her confusedly.

"Because Harry won't be an only child in a couple of months." Lily said, her uncontrollable smile spreading to James's face.

"You mean? Wow! Lily!" He kissed her excitedly. "This is great! I have to talk to Remus… he'll be the new Godfather, after all."

"Naturally." Lily said, curling up on the couch.

"And where is the big brother?" James asked Lily, as he made his way to the fireplace.

"Sleeping upstairs." Lily answered. "We're out of floo powder, James."

"Oh. Right." James said, leaving the fire, and moving to the phone instead. "That's funny," He said, listening into the receiver. "I think the line's dead. There must be a storm on the way…"

"Well, you can talk to him in the morning, can't you?"

"Yeah…" James said, hanging up the phone and looking slightly put out. "Yeah, I can."

A few hours after dinner, yawning, Lily got up from the chair. "I think I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"Yeah… in a minute." James said, as Lily made her way up the stairs. But a few moments later, James called up to her. "Lily! Come back down here!"

"What? What is it?" Lily asked, rushing back downstairs, still fully dressed.

"Look…" James replied from the window. He had the curtains pulled back and was looking anxiously outside.

"Is it Peter or Sirius?" Lily asked, as they were the only ones who knew where they lived. She hooked her hair behind her ears, and watched James from the bottom of the stairs.

"No." James said darkly. He quickly turned to Lily, and looked at her. "Go get Harry."

"You don't think it's Voldemort…?"

"Look for yourself." James said, steering Lily to the window. Sure enough, a man cloaked in black was slowly walking up the street. He was flanked by at least six other men, all with their eyes on the Potter's house. Immediately, Lily wished that she remembered where she had left her wand…

"Oh my God… James…" Lily murmured. She moved away from the window, and hugged James tightly.

"Come on, Lily—we have to get out of this house. Go get Harry." He said, giving her a push towards the stairs. "And hurry."

Lily dashed up the stairs and into Harry's room. She cradled him tenderly, and rushed into her own bedroom. She whipped open some drawers, searching desperately for her wand. _It has to be here…_ She had been an idiot to let it out of her sight…

"Lily!"

At the sound of James's voice, Lily abandoned her search. She went down the stairs, and saw James locking the door with a charm. "We'll go out the back" He muttered.

"Surround the house!" Someone shouted from the end of the driveway. "Don't let them get away!"

"James…" Lily whispered, but James grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the kitchen, and towards the back door. Harry had awoken and was starting to cry. Through the kitchen window, Lily saw three Death Eaters pointing at them, nudging each other and laughing. James whirled around and Lily led the way back into the living room.

There was a knock on the door. They were trapped.

"Take Harry and go, the first chance you get. But stay out of the way, until that time arises." James instructed, holding Lily in a tight embrace, while their son cried. "And… I love you both."

"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to leave you here." Lily whispered back. Her breath grew short, and there was another impatient and almost mocking pound on the door.

"You have to—you have to, Lily."

"No… I can't… I won't. I'll help you, we'll fight him together, and we'll win, James… Just like seventh year."

"Go." James said softly, kissing Lily. "Just go…"

"James!"

"Go, Lily!"

James pulled out his wand, and Lily hesitated before hurrying up the stairs. She heard someone shout, "_Alohamora!"_ outside, and she ripped open Harry's bedroom door. She could hear the rumble of angered talk from downstairs, and distinctly heard a high-pitched voice say, "You're lying, Potter." She snapped Harry's door shut, her breathing uneven and heavy.

Harry was sobbing, as though he knew that something wasn't right. Lily held him close to her, whispering, "It'll be all right, Harry, angel… everything will be fine…" But in her mind, she could see no escape. She looked around Harry's room helplessly, remembering with fondness the late nights Lily and James had stayed up to watch their son fall asleep. Just the other night, they had stood above his crib, holding each other, as Harry drifted into his dreams. They were so amazed and transfixed by their child that the hours just flew by, and now…

There was a huge crash from downstairs that yanked Lily out of the memory, and Lily decided it was time. Her heart banging in her chest, Lily pulled open the door, holding Harry in both arms. She made her way carefully down the steps, her heart hammering.

"Get out of here, Voldemort!" James shouted. "Leave my family alone!"

"It doesn't have to end like this, Potter," Voldemort sneered. "I just want you, and the boy." There were at least four Death Eaters in the room, all with their wands pointed at James, who was standing tall with his wand held high.

"Get out!" James yelled again, magically chucking a chair a Voldemort. A Death Eater blasted it away effortlessly.

"How dare he…" another Death Eater growled, moving towards James with a vicious look in his eyes.

"Touch him, and I will kill you," Voldemort said, not taking his eyes off of Lily's husband. "I have waited years for this moment, and I will not let it be spoiled by you." Voldemort's twisted mouth broke into a smile. "Now then, Potter. Where is your darling baby boy? I must say, I would love to meet him…"

"He's not here." James lied, teeth gritted.

"Fine." Voldemort sneered. "Oh, yes, there's someone I want _you_ to meet, before you die, that is."

James didn't answer. Voldemort pushed one of his Death Eaters forward, and instructed him to remove his hood. Lily watched in silence as the man did as Voldemort said.

"Peter?"

Lily was stunned. She couldn't believe it—it had to be a mistake. Peter Petigrew was standing before James, his round face determined and set. "I'm sorry, James," he said softly. Lily stared. It wasn't possible: little, pathetic Wormtail couldn't do this. He had knowingly turned her family over to the most evil man alive. And he actually looked _pleased_ about it…

"Can you believe it, Potter? One of your own! One of your best friends betrays you… Petigrew here came to me this afternoon, bubbling over with excitement, telling me he's found where the Potters are living. At first, I couldn't believe him. After all, he'd been telling us of your hideouts for years now—yes, Potter, _years._ But then he told me that he had been appointed your Secret Keeper, and I knew he wasn't lying. Imagine my joy, Potter, when I walked down your street, knowing that I would finally do what I have been meaning to do since you graduated from Hogwarts!"

"Peter, you back-stabbing… low-life…" James was cursing at Peter under his breath, wand now off Voldemort and pointed straight at the chest of one of his best childhood friends. "All this time? All this time you've been lying to me…"

"I'm sorry, James." Peter repeated, quivering slightly under James's furious stare. But Lily could see past James's anger—his usually bright blue eyes were dark, sad, and full of pain.

"That's right, Potter. Your best friend betrayed you, and handed over your hideout willingly to your worst enemy. Some friends you have, Potter." Voldemort laughed maliciously, and James flicked his wand back on Voldemort.

Voldemort just laughed. He paced closer to James, who was still watching Peter. Lily noticed that his hand was shaking, though his face was frozen.

"Oh, Potter, don't be stupid." Voldemort replied, "No matter how hard you fight me tonight, I will win. No matter how much good there is in this world, evil will win—_I will win. _I had the joy of killing both your parents, and, when I'm finished with you, I'll kill your son and your wife, and all of your friends. You're nothing, Potter. You aren't brave enough to beat me—you're not strong enough to beat me. You are weak, and not worthy enough to live. You've lost, Potter. You have lost."

Everything went into slow motion. Lily watched from the top of the stairs, while her husband stared defiantly at the Dark Lord Voldemort. But before anything could be done, Voldemort shouted a spell, and a blast of green light filled the room.

"NO! JAMES!" Lily screamed, as she watched James fall to the floor. Tears were streaming freely down her face. Harry let out a shriek. James lay motionless.

"Give me the boy." Voldemort said, turning to Lily as though he knew she had been there all along. The Death Eaters were laughing triumphantly up at her.

Without a word, Lily ran back to Harry's room, sobbing. She slammed the door, and quickly locked it. Her heart was in her throat, as she listened to Harry's sobs that matched her own, and Voldemort and Peter's slow progression on the stairs. She couldn't even believe that this was happening. She looked at the window, and wondered vaguely if she could escape that way. But when she looked down at Harry, she realized that she wouldn't be able to get down without hurting him or herself.

"Aren't you worried about killing a baby? It could have repercussions…"

"Go downstairs with the others, Petigrew." Lily heard Voldemort answer through the door. She couldn't stand it any longer—this man and his followers had murdered her husband. Tears were falling freely from her eyes. James was dead. The love of her life was gone forever. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her—and now he was dead.

"Oh God…" Lily cried softly. She kissed Harry's head—a head so much like her husband's—and held him tightly. James was dead…

"_Alohamora!"_

The door opened with a tantalizing creak. Lily stared at the snake-like man before her through tear filled eyes. She hadn't even realized that her mouth had opened, and she was screaming.

"You needn't die." Voldemort snorted, though Lily knew without looking at him that he was lying. He would kill her and her child.

Lily backed toward the wall, clutching Harry as tightly as she could. "Not Harry, not Harry, _please_ not Harry!" She wept, wishing James would burst through the door and rescue her.

"Stand aside, you silly girl… Stand aside now!" He shouted, moving towards Lily with his wand pointed at her son. Her insides were exploding with pain and grief. The image of James lying dead on their living room floor was pounding in her brain over and over again.

And suddenly, she realized that there was no hope left for her now. All she knew was that Harry had to live. If she died, she would be with James… She could die—but Harry couldn't. He would live. He had to. Harry had to grow up, to be happy and healthy… to go to school, to get married, to have a child of his own… he had to live.

"Not Harry—Please no! Take me… Kill me, instead." Lily tried to reason. She quickly turned away from Voldemort, placing Harry in his crib and touching his head lovingly, with her tears falling onto his face. "Have mercy—_Please _have mercy…" she begged.

"Have it your way!" Voldemort yelled. Lily whipped around with a new determination. She wiped the tears off her face; ready to fight for her son's life, unarmed and defenseless, when Voldemort screamed the first and last spell.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

There was a flash of blinding green light—a light that Lily had never really realized was beautiful in the most gruesome way possible. There was a horrible whooshing sound, as though death were flying swiftly and hauntingly from all the corners of the earth to meet her. For the second time that night, time itself seemed to creep by, as Lily felt a glacial chill crawling and caressing her skin. She knew it was over as the cold finally seized her heart and with a small scream, Lily Potter collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

* * *

Harry sobbed, punching the air with his fists. The pale white sorcerer moved to his crib, grinning maliciously. "Finally…" He muttered insanely. "The last Potter…"

Harry did nothing but cry. Voldemort stepped over Harry's limp mother, with his wand held out in front of him. "Stop your sobbing, Potter. This should be painless… though, I wouldn't know." He chuckled viciously. "Oh, at last… You have no idea how long I have waited for this, Potter…" He lowered his wand to point at Harry's chest, with an uncontrollable smile brightening his disgusting face.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Immediately, Harry's forehead split open in a painful and insufferable tear, and the volume of his crying increased ten-fold. There was another flare of green light that filled the room, and filtered out of the windows into the cold October night. A rush of wind, and suddenly, it was Voldemort who was howling.

He was screaming in anguish, agony, and aggravation as he started to crumble before baby Harry's wet eyes. Slowly, Voldemort was nothing but a long whisp of smoke, which blew out of the room speedily. Harry was alone.

* * *

Sirius flew on his motorbike to Lily and James's house quickly. Maybe it was something about Peter's house that gave him a strange feeling. Peter's mother was usually always home; yet the house had been empty.

But the sight of his friends' happy faces would make him feel better, he was sure. But as he flew over Godric's Hollow on that deathly bitter Halloween night, something felt terribly wrong. He hurried to Lily and James's house, and saw that their door was hanging loose on its hinges.

Anxiously, Sirius parked his bike, and walked inside. "Prongs? Lil?" He called. No one answered. He turned into the living room, and saw chairs turned on their sides, and a lamp smashed. And what was that by the sofa?

He hurried over to it, and gasped.

James was lying on his stomach, stock-still.

"James?" Sirius said, his voice cracking. He leaned on his heels, and he tried to lift his friend into a sitting position. Sirius clutched James tightly, but James was unmoving and limp. "Prongs? Speak to me, buddy…" He murmured. James's glasses had fallen to the floor, and his knuckles were white around his wand. His eyes were closed… so he must be only sleeping… But Sirius suddenly found it hard to breath.

"Lily!" He shouted, standing up, his eyes still locked on his best friend. He ripped his eyes away, and pounded up the stairs, shouting Lily's name until his voice was hoarse. He was on his way to Lily and James's bedroom, when he saw that Harry's door was ajar. Sirius was trembling.

"Lily…?" He called helplessly again. Pushing the door all the way open, he saw Lily sprawled on the floor. "Oh God…" Tears started to fall from his eyes like rain, and he fell to his knees. He couldn't bring himself to look at Lily.

His two best friends… were dead.

Then, Sirius heard a small cry from Harry's crib. Nervously, his eyes fogged, he pushed himself back to his feet and looked into the bed. There was baby Harry with a large gash across his head that was bleeding freely over his small face, streaming down his nose and dripping onto his pajamas.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius muttered, lifting him out of the crib. He hugged Harry strongly against his chest, while they both cried.

Awhile later, when the Ministry of Magic finally arrived, Sirius waited by the doctors nervously. "Is he going to be all right?" He kept asking, while they looked over Harry.

"Seems to be fine, Mr. Black." The doctor finally said. "But he'll have that curse-scar on his head for the rest of his life, I suppose. Odd shape, isn't it?"

Indeed, the cut on Harry's head formed a lighting bolt that slid from just below his hairline to just above his left eyebrow.

"Thank you, doctor." Sirius said, lifting Harry, as Hagrid approached him.

"Hullo, Sirius." Hagrid said gruffly, wiping his face. At the sight of Hagrid, Sirius bit his lip to reel in the tears that were sure to start up again any moment.

"Hi Hagrid."

"How… Are yeh doin' all right?" He asked Sirius, sincerely.

"Barely surviving." He said, his voice cracking as though he had never used it before. "I… just can't believe it. They're… I just can't believe it." He repeated quietly, not even wanting to admit to himself that Lily and James were dead and gone forever. By admitting that they had been killed would make it true… and Sirius couldn't do it. He had to stay strong—for Harry, if not for himself. Sirius suppressed a shiver.

"It hasta get worse to get better." Hagrid assured him. "Things'll turn out all right. Yeh'll see."

"I wish I could believe you." Sirius said softly, looking down at the small, defenseless baby in his arms. He bounced Harry softly, and smiled at him. Sirius found that it hurt to smile at a devastating time like this. Even looking into Harry's face hurt—he looked so much like James… and those eyes belonged to Lily.

"But You-Know-Who's gone forever, isn't he? Tha's gotta be good, don' it?"

"I guess," Sirius muttered. Honestly, he would rather have Voldemort causing terror than to have Lily and James dead. What did it matter if Voldemort was tormenting faceless people if Lily and James were alive?

"I'm… uh… I hate to do this to yeh, Sirius." Hagrid said uncomfortably, as he watched Sirius staring at the child. "I have strict orders from Dumbledore to take 'Arry to his aunt and uncle's house straight away."

"Wh-what?" Sirius spluttered. He held Harry tighter to his chest. He was not going to let go. Not after…

"I hafta, Sirius… Dumbeldore's orders."

"No—no, you can't… Lily and James… I'm Harry's godfatherI'm supposed to take care of him, if… if anything happened to them…" Sirius said desperately. "I have to… I _want_ to, Hagrid…"

"I know yeh want to. But Dumbledore's orders." Hagrid repeated, reaching down, and taking Harry out of Sirius's arms. Sirius felt so empty. There was nothing left, now, except—

"Take my bike." Sirius said quickly, knowing that was the least he could do. "You'll get there faster. Please? I want to know he'll be safe…"

"But, Sirius! Yeh love that bike." Hagrid argued. Sirius breathed heavily, knowing that it would be too painful to keep the bike—James had practically given it to him. He couldn't keep it. _Besides, Harry should use it—James would have wanted it that way._

"Take it. Please, Hagrid. I don't need it…" Sirius begged. Hagrid nodded, as a fresh set of tears tumbled out of his beetle eyes, and into his big beard. "Thank you, Hagrid."

"Take care of yerself." Hagrid mumbled, as he took Harry away for what seemed like what would be forever.

Sirius turned away, and started to walk down the street. All he wanted was to get away from the Potter's house… away from their limp, lifeless bodies… away from everything and everyone. Towards the end of the block, Belle Figg Apparated in front of him, with a blotchy face, and tears falling down her face. When she saw Sirius, she hurried up to him.

"Oh, Sirius!" She sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, as new teardrops started to slide down his cheeks again. "I didn't want to believe it… but they are! Oh, God…" She turned her head, and kissed his cheek with dry lips.

"It's okay… it'll be okay…" He murmured into her ear.

"I just wish… If only we could've—" Belle muttered between breaths. But she suddenly pulled away from Sirius's embrace. "Wait a second…"

"What? What is it?" Sirius asked her, as they both brushed their faces clean of tears. "What, Belle?"

"You…" She muttered, taking a step back, and pointing a quivering accusatory finger at Sirius's chest. "You… _You_ were their Secret-Keeper! You _traitor!_ You killed them! _You_ killed Lily and James!" She screamed, her voice cracking with sadness and betrayal.

"What?" Sirius asked, but then it hit him. He had told the Potters to switch Secret Keepers.

"Don't you ever come near me, or Remus, or Peter or Harry ever again. And after all we've been through together? I thought that you and I… We… I can't believe you would just throw in your lot with _Voldemort!_ What were you thinking!"

"But Belle… please listen…" Sirius begged, grabbing her hands. "I didn't do it—We switched! It was _Peter_ who"

"Don't you _dare_ touch me!" She yelled again, flinging Sirius's hands away from her own. She was crying again, and it hurt Sirius even more to see her like this. "You are disgusting—get away from here! Just wait 'til the Ministry finds you… it won't take them long!"

"Belle—no, please! Listen!" Sirius cried out. "I love Lily and James… I couldn't _possibly_… you have to believe me, Belle… Let me explain, please…"

"Get away from me!" Belle screamed, breaking down into tears again. "We were fools to trust you… you betrayed us all!"

"I didn't…" Sirius murmured. But as he stepped closer to Belle, she whipped out her wand.

"If you don't leave here, I'm calling for the Ministry to arrest you." She said threateningly, wiping her eyes with her left hand. "And believe me—I will."

"I…" Sirius began, but he just turned, and ran down the street. Was this his fault? Did he kill Lily and James? As his feet pounded against the pavement, his only thought was: _Peter… you damn spy…you tricked me—you tricked James. I will kill you for doing this to them, for doing this to Harry…for doing this to _all_ of us… This is your fault. How could you, Peter?

* * *

_

But Harry was far away, clutched safe in Hagrid's arms. The warm moleskins of Hagrid's coat gently brushed against his cheek, as the cold night air whipped around them. There was a consecutive hum from the motorbike that slowly made Harry very sleepy.

"Just over Bristol now, Harry…" Hagrid said to him comfortingly. "We're almost to your new home."

And as Harry left the wizarding world and his old life behind, he slowly started to approach a new life—a life that would be full of danger, astonishment, and most importantly, a quest: The quest for good to conquer evil for all time.

**The End**


End file.
